Islamic State captures Ramadi

The Iraqi city of Ramadi has fallen to Islamic State (IS) after government forces abandoned their positions, officials say.
The police and military made a chaotic retreat after days of intense fighting.

But the US refused to confirm the capture, saying the situation was "fluid and contested" and it was too early to make "definitive statements".
Ramadi is the capital of Iraq's largest province, Anbar, and is just 70 miles (112km) west of Baghdad.

A statement purportedly from IS said its fighters had "purged the entire city". It said IS had taken the 8th Brigade army base, along with tanks and missile launchers left behind by troops.
A very well-placed source in the Anbar governor's office told the BBC Ramadi was now under the full control of Islamic State, and all government troops had withdrawn.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had ordered troops to stand their ground, saying he was deploying Shia militia to the city.
But an army officer told the BBC that most troops had retreated to a military base in the city of Khalidiya, east of Ramadi.

Government troops were running out of ammunition and could not repel the massive onslaughts by IS, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Footage posted on social media showed military vehicles speeding away from Ramadi, with soldiers hanging off the sides.

Reports said Iraqi forces fled following a series of suicide car bomb attacks on Sunday.Four almost simultaneous explosions hit police defending the Malaab district in southern Ramadi. Later, three more suicide bombers drove explosive-laden cars into the gate of the provincial military headquarters, the Anbar Operation Command, officials said.

Earlier, Mr Abadi called on pro-government forces to "hold their positions and preserve them and not allow Daesh (IS) to extend to other areas in Ramadi".

"There is continuous air cover that will help ground troops there hold their positions while waiting for support from other forces and the Popular Mobilisation Units," he said, referring to the umbrella group for Shia militias.
The militias played a key role in the government's recent recapture of the city of Tikrit from IS, but pulled out of the city following reports of widespread violence and looting.
The loss of Ramadi represents a very serious setback for the government, and Iraqi officials are alarmed, the BBC's Ahmed Maher reports from Baghdad.

What do you think should be done about ISIs, Tobermory?  How should the West tackle them?

A defensive wall around Europe and the states and leave the savages to their own devices.

farcical scenes of iraqi officers shouting at hundreds of soldiers fleeing to stand and fight.   

Call me cynical but the west has the fire power to smoke this lot in their boots. We could reduce them to rubble in days. Ergo it must suit our purpose whatever that is to have them as the boogie men de joeur.

let Iran sort them out

Anjem Choudri and thousands of other British activist`s, will be rubbing hands at the news

May 17, 2015 -- 7:18PM, Eeternaloptimist wrote:

Call me cynical but the west has the fire power to smoke this lot in their boots. We could reduce them to rubble in days. Ergo it must suit our purpose whatever that is to have them as the boogie men de joeur.

this what i thought too : that it must be serving some hidden agenda , the rise of ISIS

obv the current US Prez isn't quite as militaristic as previous incumbents, but then the Prez isn't all powerful, bit of a figurehead when it comes to Geopolitical shenanigans.  Would accept and act on the 'advice' of all the true power-players if they really wanted a war to happen.      P'raps the yanks just biding their time, waiting for IS to get really really dangerous before unleashing an all-out war against them.

Perhaps Saudi Arabia is part of the problem here - they seem to be the fckers at the centre of every bad thing going on out there

Iranian-backed Shia militias are getting ready to counter-attack.

Sunni v Shia on news every day for years and years

Hutu v Tutsi passed without notice

obv the current US Prez isn't quite as militaristic as previous incumbents, but then the Prez isn't all powerful, bit of a figurehead when it comes to Geopolitical shenanigans.

actually the obama went to war in Libya on falsified accounts, secretly sent arms to Syria, refused to enforce US laws, including his own, all without congressional approval. that's fairly powerful, corrupt possibly, but powerful.
on the other hand bush at least had full bi partisan democratic approval

coincidence or not, everything obama has done has played into the hands of the islamic states, cairo and his support for the muslim brotherhood, total withdrawal from what was a stable iraq, the destruction of libya, very weak almost symbolic airstrikes against ISIS, an overt anti israel policy, the soft iran negotiations leading to the sunni arms race, zero pushback on IS in africa, the collapse of yemen, inaction during to iran uprising, silence on islamic atrocities against minorities while proclaiming "the future doesn't belong to those who insult the prophet". the list goes on.

Definitely all Obama's fault.

They need tough action against them.

For every innocent person they kill, opposing forces like the USA and the UK should kill two american or British muslims.

That'll learn 'em.

For every innocent person they kill, opposing forces like the USA and the UK should kill two american or British muslims.


That are being held in prisons on terrorist charges.

You gone moderate, SAGC?

I'm interested in the fabricated evidence leading up to the Libyan bombing polybot - have you got a name or a link?
I know that a CIA informant called Curveball fabricated the 2000 evidence that led to the 2nd Gulf War, and Nurse Nayirah falsified the incubators theft story leading up to the 1st Gulf War, but I'm not up to date on the Libyan fabrication.

Mikael D'Haguenet   
18 May 15 22:49 
You gone moderate, SAGC?

Only for today.

happy to help bongo (of course along with the usual suspects like mik), in the information industry you are collectively known as low level so no base is assumed.

I know that a CIA informant called Curveball fabricated the 2000 evidence that led to the 2nd Gulf War
while it's encouraging that you are an avid reader/moovie watcher, you may need to progress from michael moore, curveball and harry potter.
try this for starters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Resolution

and Nurse Nayirah falsified the incubators theft story leading up to the 1st Gulf War
the 1st gulf war was not a result of an incubator story, it was the result of IRAQ INVADING KUWAIT. or does curveball tell you that never happened?

I'm not up to date on the Libyan fabrication.

well there's hilary's viagra story which turned out to be fake http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Libyan_rape_allegations
though it has been suggested she lifted the idea from Antoine Dodson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw

then of course there was obama's undemocratic rush to destruction, briefly:
-around 250 people died in libya in clashes before obama destroyed the country (though the war plan was already in process before these clashes)
-around 250,000 have died in Syria, including genocide, civilians killed by chemical weapons, banned weapons, barrel bombs, with no action from the obama admin

and while ghadaffi was a brutal dictator, like many in the area, he was increasingly moderate, cooperative and compliant with reform demands. and while the terms of obama and the un were restricted to a no fly zone and expressly against regime change (this lie probably the main factor in the collapse of russian diplomatic trust and the subsequent disasters) we arrived at this all time low from bill's wife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgcd1ghag5Y

and by all time low, we are talking about someone who covered up her husbands predatory past and attacked the witnesses, took massive bribes while secretary of state, destroyed the illegal private emails she used, got her brother extortionate predatory rights to mine gold in haiti while much of the millions they held in donations has disappeared with little to show in haiti aid relief, lied for weeks about all aspects of the bengazi incident and tried to blame it on an innocent coptic christian, who complains about hedge fund managers while accepting millions from them and arranging her daughter to marry one. the list goes on, but it seems some just want to be told a happy harry potter story: americas first [insert buzzword] president
obamas record not much better, just not as long.

How thoroughly decent of polybot to share his immense knowledge with us low-levels. Never mind that he barely mentions Iraq at all. It's not as if that's what the thread is about.

Bet you're glad you asked though, eh bongo?

I was looking for the falsified accounts on which we went to war in Libya. And we have US ambassador Susan Rice fabricating a story to the UN Security Council in April 2011 that troops were supplied with Viagra to promote rape. And that was in the run-up to the bombing of Libya? Which began in March 2011.

At least the examples I gave of Curveball and Nurse Nayirah fabricated evidence occurred before the allies had authorised and begun their attacks.

I give up on polybot, but at least he tried.

Thanks for the moral support mik!

In fairness, I guess he is answering your direct question. He's still an [insert four letters] though!

dont mock, the guy is obviously in the know with US foreign policy probably just stepped out of a meeting with John kerry & the illuminati to post on chit chat

Thanks for the moral support mik!

bongo, by all means seek all the moral support you can find, maybe start a support group if it helps you get by.

I was looking for the falsified accounts on which we went to war in Libya. And we have US ambassador Susan Rice fabricating a story to the UN Security Council in April 2011

you really are desperate to justify this illegal war aren't you? as has been explained, there was only provision for a no fly zone, and even that was completely non democratic. in the first days or weeks the conditions had been exceeded and a propaganda campaign was used to justify a war against libya with no democratic act passed.
despite obamas assurances of  “days, not weeks.” the war lasted until october, the goal being the death of ghadaffi and the destruction of libya. note that there were no calls for continued support to civilians now under terrorist occupation suggesting that this was never a humanitarian, and no support has been offered since to those suffering.

your arguments would be less pathetic if you were simply broadly and indiscriminately hawkish, but you seem to have a typical and hypocritical view where your religious leaders (hilary, obama, and so on) are immune to corruption or incompetence but all who oppose or criticise them are sinners and heretics, regardless of the facts.

How thoroughly decent of polybot to share his immense knowledge with us low-levels. Never mind that he barely mentions Iraq at all. It's not as if that's what the thread is about.

Mik, before you report me for disobeying the "thou shalt honour thy OP" commandment, all my posts were in direct response to other posters, perhaps you could organise a posse and hunt down all transgressors?

You misunderstand me polybot.

At the moment I'm interested in occasions when governments act or are influenced by what turns out to be fabricated evidence. The Nurse Nayirah fabrication of stolen incubators and babies dying is such an example, with the Senate authorising US involvement in the first gulf war by a margin of 5 votes, there's a good case that the fabrication influenced US involvement.
In Northern Ireland on 1st June there are new anti-trafficking laws - in the lead up to the law being passed, fabricated evidence was given to their justice committee on at least 3 occasions, one by a woman who has pretended to be a victim and wrote a book on it. That's just another example.

When you said 'falsified accounts' in the Libyan campaign, I thought you might know of a similar fraud or fabrication by a PR agency or informant to influence the US decision to start bombing Libya. You came up with one which occurred after the bombing had begun.

I wasn't trying to make an argument on this you pathetic man. I was looking for something in the lead up to the bombing and gave some examples from other conflicts to illustrate what I was looking for.

not sure what you are hoping for with the nurse story, firstly it was false testimony by a kuwaiti individual  (though the iraqis did commit atrocities and babies died) but not deliberate lies by actual  us officials such as clinton. secondly it's ridiculous to argue there would not have been a war without this testimony because the war was a result of SADDAM INVADING KUWAIT. It's a distractive argument but maybe the only one you have.

but even on the timing aspect, you are contradicting yourself

I know that a CIA informant called Curveball fabricated the 2000 evidence that led to the 2nd Gulf War,

I thought you might know of a similar fraud or fabrication by a PR agency or informant to influence the US decision to start bombing Libya. You came up with one which occurred after the bombing had begun.

you deliberately fail to recognise a difference between a no fly zone authorisation and a war of conquest or regime change in libya.
given there was also a no fly zone and bombing in iraq prior to 2000/2002then how does 2000 evidence lead to anything, since according to you this evidence "occurred after the no fly zone/bombing had begun".

in reality though there is a difference, which is why bush constitutionally had to seek congressional approval, obama on the other hand:

I thought you might know of a similar fraud or fabrication by a PR agency or informant to influence the US decision to start bombing Libya

it wasn't a US decision, it was an executive order by obama. one of many.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2011/03/24/obamas-unconstitutional-war/
even then, obama claims he made the decision based on civilian casualties he felt might happen with no evidence it would, and as i already pointed out, he cares nothing for the casualties since ghadaffi died, or the significantly worse situations in other countries.

and obama having inherited a stable iraq (his own words) describes ISIS a a JV team, childishly dismisses romney's identification of the russian threat, declared al qaeda to be on the run, states that yemen and somalia are great achievements, completely abandons iraq, incoherently steps over red lines on syria, supporting the muslim brotherhood while ignoring genocide, not to mention iran, blames the current vast and spreading crisis which includes ramadi on what? nurse stories?