ISIS Pushes Back Into Iraq’s Northwest, Gains Continue in Anbar

ISIS Fighters Once Again Nearing Mount Sinjar

While the focus of the US air war on ISIS seems to be Kobani, in northern Syria, ISIS has once again turned its sights to Iraq, with mounting gains in Anbar Province and a new offensive pushing them back into Kurdish territory in the nation’s northwest.

ISIS seized parts of Anbar way back in January, but has grown its territory across the area, and now controls 80 percent of the province, with the other 20 percent virtually constantly being contested.

ISIS began attacking the Kurdish frontier on multiple fronts yesterday, and is pushing into territory they’d lost months ago. They’re also nearing Mount Sinjar once again, which was the original pretext for the US launching the war.

ISIS seems to grow its territory in Iraq in spurts, seizing major swathes of territory and then stalling their advance, focusing on shoring up their defenses in those areas. It seems that once again they’re in a growth period inside Iraq, and neither the Iraqi military nor the Kurds seem to be able to stop them.