Both Sides Prepare For New Battle for Ramadi. Whats Your Opinion?

In a recent Armytimes Article:

The militants' victory in Ramadi on May 17 prompted President Obama to authorize an additional 450 American troops to deploy to Iraq, bringing the current U.S. force cap there up to 3,550.

A key new component of the U.S. strategy in Iraq includes a "tribal engagement platform" at Taquaddum Air Base, located between the Islamic State strongholds of Ramadi and Fallujah. That mission aims to help organize anti-IS Sunni tribal fighters and help the regular Iraqi Army to coordinate with those tribal units.

"We have established a node [of U.S. forces at Taqaddum] and they can provide advice and assistance and coordination and the ability to integrate the power of the coalition with the Iraqi operations center and tribal forces who are located at that same location," Weidley said.

A cadre of about 500 Sunni fighters came to Taqaddum recently for an "induction" into a "popular mobilization unit" loyal to the Iraqi government, and those Sunni recruits were paid a salary and given military equipment, Weidley said.

The U.S. forces at Taqaddum will conduct their advise-and-assist mission inside the perimeter of that installation. They will be providing train-the-trainer-style support for Sunni tribes.

"We provide the expertise to the tribal trainers and then the tribal trainers will go ahead and conduct training with their individual forces. Those subject-matter exchanges have already commenced at Taqaddum," Weidley said.

The U.S. troops are not involved in the vetting of Sunni fighters to ensure their capability or loyalty; that is a task handled by the Iraqis, Weidley said.

Despite the Islamic State group's victory in Ramadi, which Weidley described as a "setback," the Iraqi security forces and Sunni tribal fighters are making progress in Anbar, Weidley said.

"We see successful tribal operations out in the Euphrates River valley in the vicinity of Baghdadi and Haditha. We see additional ISF activities in and around Karma [near Falluja] which are yielding success," he said.

"We see great things happening out there."