Tens Of Thousands Flee Islamic State Military Gains And Advances In The Sunni Heartland Of Iraq

Displaced Sunni people, who fled the violence in the city of Ramadi, arrive at the outskirts of Baghdad, April 17, 2015. Iraqi security forces fought Islamic State militants at the gates of the western city of Ramadi on Friday, and local authorities warned it was in danger of falling unless reinforcements arrived soon. REUTERS/Stringer

Washington Post: Thousands of Iraqis flee as Islamic State makes gains in Sunni heartland



SADR AL-YUSUFIYAH — Thousands of families fleeing Iraq’s western city of Ramadi choked checkpoints leading to Baghdad on Friday, after an Islamic State advance spread panic and left security forces clinging to control.


A column of traffic several vehicles wide snaked for miles at a checkpoint in Sadr al-Yusufiyah, on the edge of Baghdad province, as minibuses, cars and trucks picked up families who crossed by foot carrying their possessions in bags and wheelbarrows. Suhaib al-Rawi, the governor of Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital, described it as a human disaster on a scale the city has never witnessed.



Update: This photo gallery from Reuters reveals the mass panic that is now gripping that city .... ISIS at the gates of Ramadi (Reuters)



WNU Editor: So much for U.S. war plans .... ISIS’ Attack on Ramadi Just Upended U.S. War Plans (Nancy Youssef, Daily Beast). This is why the battle for Ramadi is important .... The Fall of Ramadi Would Mean a Devastating Win for ISIS ( Tom Rogan, NRO) .... and why US General Dempsey's remarks on Ramadi are so wrong .... Top U.S. General: Losing Ramadi To The Islamic State Is 'Not A Big Deal' .



Update #2: The Iraqi government and its allies are getting desperate .... Hezbollah Brigades deploys fighters to Ramadi (Long War Journal). Sighh .... Shiite - Hezbollah fighters in the Sunni heartland of Iraq .... that is not going to go over well.



Update #3: The sheer numbers of civilians who are now fleeing the Islamic State in Iraq's Anbar province are massive .... Islamic State: Up to 150,000 civilians reportedly flee embattled city of Ramadi (ABC News Australia).