Iraqi forces take back Tikrit from ISIS, official says

The day ISIS failed to take Baghdad the lost the initiative and it any chance to so anything beyond small localized offensives was over. Somebody is suppose to have been keeping track of the fact I said this back then. To see if I really had any idea what I was talking about. They day they failed to take Baghdad it was over for ISIS. Even without US airstrikes it was still over. It would just be a longer more bloody affair. The airstrikes will in the end save many lives.

In Syria as the rebels and Kurds get Western training and arms they will be able to begin some real offensives as well instead of holding in place. Assads forces just do not seem to have the fight in them even with Irans backing. I know many of those forces would likely go over to the rebels if they had to fight them but, they would not likely deffect to ISIS. They seem to just be sitting around Damascus while loyal Syrian militas, Iran, Lebonese militias and Hezbollah do most of the fighting. I suppose the reports that Assad has kind of lost it and thinks they have been on the verge of victory are likely true and reinfored by his staff who point to the soldiers stationed on every corner in Damascus as a sign of how secure all of Syria is.

Off-topic, but Tikrit related:

I've been in Tikrit once, in 2009. I won a couple Soldier of the Month boards for my unit while serving in Al Asad. As a reward, I was flown into Tikrit for what was called "Freedom Rest." Basically, a compound was transformed into a resort getaway. We weren't allowed to wear our uniform. Our unit wasn't allowed to reach us. We had individual rooms. There was a pedicurist there for us. We could order anything we wanted to eat, at any time of the day, and most likely they could and would procure and prepare it for us, and deliver it to wherever we were hanging out at the time. There was a swimming pool and hot tubs, a gift shop, a video game section (Xbox 360). We were able to call home, stateside. Stays there were for 3 day periods... Basically, it was awesome.

Another thing that was cool about it was that there was a Soldier of the Year board in Tikrit, and the PT test was held on my last day of Freedom Rest... Since I was IN Freedom Rest, I wasn't allowed to participate in it... Darn. I missed the SotY board, but I didn't really want to do it anyways.

ANOTHER cool thing was that after freedom rest was over for me, no one from my unit arranged a flight back to my station for close to two weeks. Basically, I had a prolonged vacation, in a "CHU" by myself, for around two weeks. While there, I had access to Burger King, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, etc., a masseuse, and all the other stuff that was there on the post.

To cap it all off, the whole time I was in Tikrit, there was no incoming mortars, or anything... Talk about a good time, imo.

Sucks, all this that's going on, but I'll always have fond memories.

Sorry for straying from the topic, but I wanted to share.

a reply to: crazyewok

Heh. One too many long games of StarCraft. War of attrition is all about controlling as many resources as possible and starving our your opponent.

a reply to: MrSpad

I've been on your side for a long time in this regard. So everything you are saying, I've been there with you the whole time.