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Islamic State's Capture of Ramadi Reveals New Prowess on Battlefield
(Wall Street Journal) Margaret Coker - Islamic State's battlefield performance in seizing Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar province, suggests the terrorist group's tactical sophistication is growing. Islamic State commanders executed a complex battle plan that outwitted a greater force of Iraqi troops as well as the U.S.-trained special-operations force known as the Golden Division, which had been fighting for months to defend the city. Islamic State commanders evaded surveillance and airstrikes to bring in reinforcements. IS also converted captured U.S. military armored vehicles into formidable new weapons, megabombs with payloads equal to the force of the Oklahoma City bombing. Over three days, IS launched at least 27 such vehicles that destroyed Iraq security forces' defensive perimeters and crumbled multistory buildings.