Special to WorldTribune.com Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) has kept Iraqi forces from gaining full control of Ramadi by launching attacks through a network of tunnels and using local residents as human shields. “What we see are small groups of enemy forces and in that group is maybe five to seven, maybe as […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Iraq is set to launch an offensive to retake the city of Ramadi from Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). The Iraqi air force on Dec. 20 dropped leaflets in Ramadi, calling for residents of the ISIL-controlled city to leave within 72 hours. Ramadi is the capital of the Sunni-majority Anbar […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) militants drove a tank laden with explosives into an Iraqi base south of Samarra on June 1, killing 38 Iraqi policeman and injuring 46 more. The base has been the site of a back-and-forth battle between ISIL and Iraqi security forces. Iraq forces had taken […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States, despite intensified air strikes, has acknowledged significant gains by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. President Barack Obama’s envoy to the anti-ISIL coalition said ISIL continues to advance in Iraq. [Ret.] Gen. John Allen said U.S. and coalition air strikes failed to stop ISIL in its […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States has become concerned over the threat by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant to Baghdad. Officials acknowledged that ISIL was moving toward the Iraqi capital despite daily air strikes on the movement in the north. The officials said ISIL was threatening the city from both north […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has established an operational presence on the outskirts of Iraq’s capital. Security sources said ISIL has been quietly moving cells near Shi’ite neighborhoods of Baghdad. They said ISIL suicide bombers were directed to conduct mass-casualty attacks on mosques, schools and markets in an […]
Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has established positions in and around the Iraqi capital. Iraqi security sources said ISIL has reached the outskirts of Baghdad from several directions. They said ISIL was surrounding the city from both the south and north while infiltrating suicide bomb squads. “There are […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has begun to use Iraq as a launching pad for its campaign in neighboring Syria. Syrian opposition sources said ISIL has exploited its newly-captured territory in Iraq to facilitate the flow of fighters and weapons to Syria. They said ISIL was mobilizing […]
Special to WorldTribune.com AMMAN — Jordan has bolstered security measures amid the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from neighboring Iraq and Syria. Officials said the military and intelligence community have been on alert for infiltration by ISIL from Iraq and Syria. They did not rule out that ISIL could use […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Iraq is pressing the United States for a combat unmanned aerial vehicle which it considers more urgent than its request for AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. Officials said the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has expressed the need for a U.S.-origin combat UAV. The officials said Al Maliki urged […]