re: #108 Bulworth

Actually, it’s not as much as even the map makes it out to be. You’re talking about a force that’s a fraction of the force that the US needed to control the same area. They can’t control the area for long against a prolonged and concerted effort to eliminate the ISIS/ISIL presence there, so the trick is getting the Iraqi military to stand up and deliver on that.

ISIL can harass. They can carry out attacks against civilians and against some military targets. They can deny the area for limited periods, but they aren’t really in control beyond the main road-links. And they certainly wouldn’t be able to retain that territory against a determined force coupled with air power.