Less than a week ago, General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, was saying:
“There’s no doubt that the combination of the [Iranian-backed] Popular Mobilisation forces and the Iraqi security forces, they’re going to run ISIL [IS] out of Tikrit.”
The offensive in Tikrit, by Iraqi forces with the strong backing of Iran and virtually no American support, has met heavy resistance and bogged down, however, and today, in the Washington Post, Loveday Morris reports that:
Iraqi forces’ operation to retake the city of Tikrit has stalled as troops suffer heavy casualties at the hands of Islamic State militants, raising concerns about whether the pro-government fighters are ready for major offensives.
So:
While Iraqi officials still express confidence that they can retake the city, the stuttering offensive does not bode well for the more complex battles for the city of Mosul and for militant-held areas of Anbar province that were expected to begin in coming months.
And:
As the momentum has slowed, some Iraqi officials have begun to publicly call for U.S.-led air support.
