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Islamic State Fighters Threatening to Overrun Iraq's Anbar Province
(Asharq Al-Awsat-UK) Erin Cunningham - Islamic State militants are threatening to overrun Anbar province in western Iraq in what would be a major victory for the jihadists. A win for the Islamic State in Anbar would give the militants control of the Haditha Dam and several large army installations, potentially adding to their abundant stockpile of weapons. It would also allow them to establish a supply line from Syria almost to Baghdad and give them a valuable position from which to launch attacks on the Iraqi capital. "If the Islamic State controls Anbar, they would be able to threaten serious targets in Baghdad," said an Iraqi security expert, Saeed al-Jayashi. In the past four weeks, the Islamic State has come to control most of the territory from the Syrian border to Abu Ghraib in the western suburbs of Baghdad. Perhaps most alarming is the jihadists' advance on Ramadi, the provincial capital, 80 miles west of Baghdad. (Washington Post) See also ISIS on Verge of Seizing "Complete Control" in Anbar - Hamza Mustafa Iraq's Anbar province is on the verge of completely falling into the hands of the Islamic State unless urgent action is taken to address military failures, the Sunni Anbar Tribal Council warned on Wednesday. Anbar Tribal Council member Faris Ibrahim said, "The security situation in Anbar Province is going from bad to worse due to a lack of support, as well as the almost complete absence of security and military leadership." It was Anbar's police force that was protecting citizens from ISIS, he said, adding that, "Unfortunately, the [Iraqi] military has become a source of assistance for ISIS because for the most part ISIS is able to attack and defeat the military, taking control of their arms and equipment."