Remember the video of the Iraqi Army fleeing from Ramadi back in May this year? The scene was shocking and rather embarrassing to see a military force not just in retreat, but full-fledged panic mode, leaving equipment dragging behind.
As Written By Allen B. West:
We saw the daytime celebratory parade by ISIS upon entering Ramadi, and my question at the time was, where is American air power? To have an enemy force on the move in the open desert, and then to have them conduct a broad daylight procession was unconscionable.
Am I pleased with the news about the “retaking” of Ramadi? Sure, but it should NEVER have been taken in the first place. And remember, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, asserted the fall of Ramadi wasn’t a big deal. But it was a big deal to the men and women who fought, bled, were wounded, and to the families of those who lost their lives in Ramadi.
But has Ramadi been retaken?
As Fox News reported, “Iraqi government forces scored a major victory when they took control from ISIS of the central government complex in the city of Ramadi on Monday. But even as one Iraqi military spokesperson unequivically said earlier Monday that Ramadi had been “liberated,” the head of Iraqi military operations in Anbar province cautioned against celebrating too early.
“The troops only entered the government complex,” Gen. Ismail al-Mahlawi said. “We can’t say that Ramadi is fully liberated. There are still neighborhoods under their control and there are still pockets of resistance.”
That assessment contradicted Joint Operations Spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rahsool’s statement earlier in the day, that “Yes, the city of Ramadi has been liberated.” Rahsool did subsequently hedge his assertion, however. “The Iraqi counter-terrorism forces have raised the Iraqi flag over the government complex in Anbar,” he said, without noting any other specific land or buildings controlled by Iraqi forces.”
Ok, so what happens next? In military jargon there’s something called “operational tempo,” which means if you have the enemy in retreat and on the run, you press the assault, the attack. The purpose is to crush the enemy’s will to fight and resist, to destroy them — such as what we did to the Iraqi Army on the “Highway of Death” leading out of Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm.
As study of ancient warfare will show, it is in the pursuit phase of an operation where the most casualties are inflicted upon the enemy. So I ask again, what next?
“Retaking” Ramadi is a small tactical victory, and I mean small when one considers the greater global jihadist movement being waged.
Consider the resounding defeat of the U.S. Army in its first engagement against the forces of the Desert Fox, German General Erwin Rommel at Kasserine Pass. A new commander was brought in, General George Patton, and even in the ……
CONTINUE READING HERE: ALLEN B. WEST