Islamic State militants
reportedly overran Camp Speicher on Friday in a major defeat for Iraqi military and its
Shia militia allies. (McClatchy, 19 July)
The former U.S. military
base is situated in northwestern Tikrit and is used as a major staging base for ground and air operations by the Iraqi military. Its fall would expose Samarra, and eventually Baghdad,
to IS forces. It was not immediately clear if any of Iraqi army helicopters
based at Speicher was destroyed by the militants or fell into their hands.
Islamic State’s Salahaddin Division said on Friday in a statement released on Twitter that it was in “control of the airport and the base completely." IS claimed that an Iraqi brigadier general and a colonel were killed in action during the battle for Speicher. (Long War Journal, 19 July)
UPDATE (20 July): Iraqi military said on Sunday that its special forces have retaken Camp Speichter and secured full control. Considering that the city of Tikrit, with the exception of its university campus, is under IS control, maintaining logistics for the camp would be a serious challenge for ISF, and it could impede its operations at Speicher.
File photo: Camp Speicher (YouTube)
Islamic State’s Salahaddin Division said on Friday in a statement released on Twitter that it was in “control of the airport and the base completely." IS claimed that an Iraqi brigadier general and a colonel were killed in action during the battle for Speicher. (Long War Journal, 19 July)
UPDATE (20 July): Iraqi military said on Sunday that its special forces have retaken Camp Speichter and secured full control. Considering that the city of Tikrit, with the exception of its university campus, is under IS control, maintaining logistics for the camp would be a serious challenge for ISF, and it could impede its operations at Speicher.
File photo: Camp Speicher (YouTube)
