[Update] ISIS Attacks City, Air Base With Marines

The city of al-Baghdadi in Iraq was taken by ISIS militants on Thursday, a mere few miles from a Marines base.
[Update] ISIS Attacks City, Air Base With Marines
The city of al-Baghdadi in Iraq was taken by ISIS militants on Thursday, a mere few miles from a Marines base.
Jack Phillips
Updated:

The city of al-Baghdadi in Iraq was taken by ISIS militants on Thursday, a few miles from an air base with U.S. Marines, according to Reuters.

UPDATE as of Friday: It has been reported that ISIS militants dressed up as Iraqi soldiers and tried to attack the air base, but they ultimately failed.

But a rumor that was being spread on social media sites and several blogs said “300 Marines” were “trapped” at a nearby base, and it said Iraqi officials lost contact with them. Another rumor claimed that Ramadi city, located about 50 miles from al-Baghdadi was also taken, but that hasn’t been confirmed either.

Mainstream news outlets have not reported on 300 Marines--or any U.S. soldiers in Iraq--being “trapped” by ISIS, or the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIL.

Reuters notes that ISIS is “threatening an air base where U.S. Marines are training Iraqi troops.”

“Al-Baghdadi, about 85 km (50 miles) northwest of Ramadi in Anbar province, had been besieged for months by the radical Sunni Islamist militants who captured vast swathes of northern and western Iraq last year,” said the report.

A Google Maps screenshot shows al-Baghadi and the Asad Air Base. (Google Maps)
A Google Maps screenshot shows al-Baghadi and the Asad Air Base. Google Maps

Naji Arak, a district manager, told Reuters that about 90 percent “of al-Baghdadi district has fallen under the control of the insurgents.”

The Marines are stationed at the Ain al-Asad base (also known as Ain Assad Air Base, as seen above in the map). The insurgents attacked base, but they were unable to break it. The base is located about 3 miles south of the town.

Pentagon spokeswoman Navy Commander Elissa Smith told Reuters confirmed there was  fighting in al-Baghdadi, but it didn’t spread to the base. “There were reports of ineffective indirect fire in the vicinity of the base,” she said.

Another map shows al-Baghdadi (marked as A in red) in proximity to Ramadi City in Iraq. (Google Maps)
Another map shows al-Baghdadi (marked as A in red) in proximity to Ramadi City in Iraq. Google Maps
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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