CONGRATULATIONS EVERYBODY, WE HAVE RETAKEN RAMADI.
ABOUT TEN YEARS AFTER WE INITIALLY TOOK IT, MAYBE
EVEN LONGER.
IT IS GOOD NEWS, THE IRAQI ARMY CLAIMS THEY HAVE RETAKEN THE
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT CITY OF RAMADI IN IRAQ.
THE FACT THAT ISIS WAS THAT CLOSE TO BAGHDAD IS UNBELIEVABLE.
"IRAQI OFFICIALS SAY THE ARMY IS NOW IN FULL CONTROL OF CENTRAL
RAMADI, WHERE THE SO-CALLED ISLAMIC STATE HAS BEEN RESISTING
AN ARMY OFFENSIVE."
WE KNOW IT IS TRUE BECAUSE THERE IS AN ARMY OFFICIAL ñ SOLDIER?
WITH AN IRAQI FLAG, AND IT GOT POSTED ñ HOISTED?
IN THE RUBBLE OF RAMADI.
IF THAT IS WHAT WE TOOK ñ WE MEANING THE COALITION FORCES
ñ CONGRATULATIONS TO US.
I GUESS IT QUALIFIES AS GOOD NEWS.
"IRAQI GOVERNMENT FORCES, BACKED BY COALITION AIRSTRIKES, HAS
BEEN TRYING TO RETAKE THE MAINLY
SUNNI ARAB CITY FOR WEEKS."
THIS DID TAKE SOME TIME, OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS MONTHS
BEFORE THAT WAY THEY WEREN'T EVEN TRYING TO RETAKE THE CITY.
ORIGINALLY THEY LOST IT TO ISIS WHEN THE IRAQI FORCES NOT ONLY
DROPPED THEIR WEAPONS AND RAN, BUT DROPPED THEIR PANTS AND RAN.
LITERALLY.
THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THEY WERENíT IN UNIFORM, SO IF THEY
WERE CAUGHT THEY WOULDN'T BE KILLED.
THEY WERE RUNNING AWAY, I HOPE THEY HAD A CHANGE OF
CLOTHES WITH THEM, BECAUSE THE UNDERWEAR WOULD'VE BEEN A
GIVEAWAY, EVEN IF YOUíVE GOTTEN RID OF YOUR ARMY FATIGUES.
A GOVERNOR SPOKESPERSON SAID, "OFFICIALS NOW BELIEVE THAT ISIS
MILITANTS WERE NOT CAPABLE OF LAUNCHING ANY ATTACKS ON THE
SECURITY FORCES."
LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE FORCE THEY WERE
DEALING WITH.
"THERE HAD BEEN NO CLEAR INDICATIONS THE NUMBER OF ISIS
MILITANTS WHO HAD BEEN DEFENDING THE CITY, ALTHOUGH SOME REPORTS
PUT IT AT ABOUT 400."
WOW.
SO IT TOOK ALL THIS TIME TO RECAPTURE A GIANT CITY HELD BY
400 ISIS FIGHTERS?
WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS.
BUT IN FACT WE ARE, ISIS IS IN THE RETREAT.
HERE IS ANOTHER STORY FROM REUTERS ABOUT A DIFFERENT
SITUATION, ALSO POSITIVE FOR THE COALITION.
"A U.S. BACKED ALLIANCE OF SYRIAN KURDS AND ARAB REBEL
GROUPS, BACKED BY U.S. COALITION PLANES, CITY CAPTURED
A SYRIAN DAM ON SATURDAY FROM ISLAMIC STATE, CUTTING A MAIN
SUPPLY ROUTE OF THE MILITANTS
ACROSS THE EUPHRATES."
I KNOW THAT ALL OF THIS IS RELATIVELY
TRUE, AND I LOOK AT ALL OF THIS WITH GREAT SKEPTICISM NORMALLY
WHEN THE PENTAGON MAKES ANNOUNCEMENTS, OR THE IRAQI
GOVERNMENT, OR THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT IN THIS CASE.
BUT IN THIS CASE IT IS NOT JUST THEM, IT IS ISIS THAT SEEMS
TO BE BACKPEDALING.
AL-BAGHDADI, THEIR LEADER, GAVE A VERY RARE AUDIO MESSAGE
TO THE TROOPS.
FIRST I SHOULD NOTE, REUTERS SAYS THAT HE HAS BEEN
REPORTED INJURED OR KILLED SEVERAL TIMES IN FIGHTING,
APPARENTLY INCORRECTLY.
GIVEN THAT HE IS PUTTING OUT AUDIO MESSAGES, APPARENTLY SO.
HERE IS WHAT HIS MESSAGE SAID, "BECAUSE OF IT THAT GOD
WILL GRANT VICTORY TO THOSE WHO WORSHIP HIM, AND HEAR THE
GOOD NEWS THAT OUR STATE IS DOING WELL.
THE MORE INTENSE OUR WAR AGAINST IT, THE PURER IT BECOMES AND THE
TOUGHER IT GETS."
THAT IS GREAT NEWS, THAT MEANS THEY ARE LOSING.
YOU DON'T PUT THAT STATEMENT OUT WHEN YOU ARE WINNING, YOU
PUT THAT STATEMENT OUT WHEN YOU ARE LOSING.
AL-BAGHDADI DOES NOT LIKE TO PUT OUT MESSAGES BECAUSE IT MAKES
IT EASIER TO CATCH HIM.
THAT IS WHY IT IS JUST AUDIO AND NOT VIDEO.
EVEN SO IT HAS CLUES, AND THAT IS WHY HE DOES NOT PUT OUT
MESSAGES.
HE HAD TO PUT THIS MESSAGE OUT BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY
INTERNALLY THERE IS DISSENSION AND THEY ARE CONCERNED THEY
ARE LOSING GROUND.
THAT IS GREAT NEWS.
FINAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE IS, WHEN THINGS GET ROUGH IN THE
MUSLIM JIHADIST WORLD, WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BLAME?
I'M SURPRISED THAT THEY HAVE NOT DONE THIS MORE OFTEN AND
MORE VIGOROUSLY.
YOU KNOW IT IS TOUGH TIMES BECAUSE THEY BROKE THE
GLASS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.
WHAT IS THAT CLASS?
THE JEWS.
OF COURSE.
HE SAYS, "IF IT WAS AN ISLAMIC COALITION, IT WOULD HAVE
DECLARED SOME FREE FROM ITS JEWISH AND CRUSADER LORDS AND
MADE THE KILLING THE JEWS AND THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE IT'S
GOAL."
IN OTHER WORDS, WE'RE IN TROUBLE.
EVERYBODY RALLY, IT'S THE JEWS.
DUDE, YOU ARE IN SOME TROUBLE, IT IS GOOD TO HEAR.
INTERESTINGLY THAT THEY HAVE NOT SPOKEN THAT MUCH ABOUT IT
UNTIL NOW.
SO ALL OF A SUDDEN IN A PANIC THEY THINK, LET'S BLAME THE
JEWS.
BE ON OUR SIDE IF YOU ARE GOOD MUSLIMS.
I HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE, AND IT IS HEARTENING TO SEE THAT
THEY ARE IN A PANIC.
WE'VE NOT SEEN THAT IN A LONG TIME.
IF HE HAS GOT TO RALLY THE TROOPS, THAT MEANS THE
TROOPS NEED RALLYING.
THAT IS GOOD NEWS.