Islamic State Captures the City of Al-Baghdadi in Western Iraq

Members of the Islamic State group succeeded in capturing the city of Al-Baghdadi in western Iraq on Friday, February 24. This city is located near the Ain al-Asad airbase, where about 300 U.S. Marines are training Iraqi soldiers. The Islamic State's attempt to capture this base on the same day had failed. Despite the only eight-kilometer distance between Al-Baghdadi and the Ain al-Asad airbase, the French news agency reported, citing U.S. Department of Defense officials (Pentagon), that the capture was deemed 'insignificant.' John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesperson, stated, 'It's just a city, not the entire Anbar province or all of Iraq.' Al-Baghdadi had been under pressure from Islamic State forces in recent months, and its capture, located in the Sunni-majority Anbar province, represents one of the group's biggest successes in recent months. Hours before the capture of Al-Baghdadi by the Islamic State, about 20 to 25 members of this group, some of whom were wearing Iraqi army uniforms, attempted to attack the Ain al-Asad airbase. The Pentagon spokesperson mentioned that among the attackers were several suicide bombers. All attackers were either killed by the base's guards or due to their own explosions. The Pentagon announced that in response to the attack on this base, reconnaissance aircraft and American Apache helicopters were dispatched to the location, but they arrived after the fighting had ended. The capture of Al-Baghdadi by the Islamic State occurred two days after President Barack Obama promised that this group would ultimately be defeated.