[AnNahar] The Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group's seizure of Ramadi represents a painful blow to the U.S.-led war against the jihadists, raising fresh doubts about Washington's war strategy and the military strength of its partners in Iraq.
The defeat of Iraqi security forces in the capital of Anbar province came despite more than 160 air strikes by U.S. and coalition warplanes over the past month, and after an elaborate effort starting last year to arm and train Baghdad government troops and Sunni rustics. |