Iraqi security forces and a coalition of militiamen on Sunday broke a six-week siege imposed by the Islamic State terror army on a northern Iraqi village, amid mounting criticism over the Obama administration’s lack of a strategy to contain the bloodthirsty jihadists.
The farming community of Amirli, about 105 miles north of Baghdad and home to roughly 15,000 Shiite Turkmen, had been surrounded by ISIS since mid-July, according to reports.
“ISIS militants have fled as our heroes in the army and the volunteers are progressing at Amirli,” said Qassim Atta, the Iraqi military spokesman, according to a report on state television Sunday.
The military advance came after the United States hit ISIS militants with airstrikes on Saturday in support of a humanitarian mission.
The coalition that stormed the town from two directions included the Iraqi Army, Kurdish fighters and Shiite militias.
Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said on state TV that the forces suffered “some casualties,” but did not give a specific number.
He said fighting was “still ongoing to clear the surrounding villages.”
In June, members of the minority Turkmen chose to hold their ground and initially fended off ISIS fighters.
Many residents complained that aid drops of food and water were not enough as they endured oppressive heat with virtually no electricity or running water.
Despite the victory, American lawmakers across both parties had harsh words Sunday for President Obama’s “cautious” approach to ongoing threats from Islamic militants in Syria and Iraq.
“I think I’ve learned one thing about this President, and that is he’s very cautious,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“Maybe in this instance, too cautious.”
On Thursday, during a television statement to the nation, Obama admitted “we don’t have a strategy yet” to combat the rise of the monstrous ISIS.
The extremist group has taken control of cities, towns and massive areas of land in northeastern Syria and northern and western Iraq. It views Shiites as apostates and has carried out a number of massacres and beheadings — often posting gruesome videos and photos of the slaughters online.
On Sunday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) slammed the President’s undetermined policy to deal with the extremists.
“Our traditional allies are now standing up, saying, ‘Well, maybe America is not the best force to lead us through these troubles,’ ” Rogers said on “Fox News Sunday.”
“It shows, and, I think, exemplifies, that his foreign policy is in free fall.”
Rogers repeated warnings that the jihadist group poses an imminent threat to the U.S. and may already have recruited hundreds of Americans to join its cause.
Saudi King Abdullah has predicted that ISIS would soon reach the U.S. and Europe.
“We want to do whatever we need to do to stop ISIS,” Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “You don’t just come in and bomb” without a plan, he added. “When the time is right, we will do what we have to do.”
Meanwhile, Germany announced Sunday that it will send high-end rifles, tank-busting weapons and armored vehicles to help Kurdish fighters battling ISIS.
Last week, a United Nations report detailed the brutal executions by ISIS in Syria, including beheadings or victims shot in the head from close range.
The terrorists hung some of the bodies on crucifixes displayed in public squares for days after the killings. The executed were offered no chance at proving their innocence in front of a judicial body before the lethal sentences were imposed.
ISIS beheaded one of its captives, freelance American journalist James Foley, 40, whose death was recorded on video and made public Aug. 19. The terrorists have threatened to execute 31-year-old Steven Sotloff, another hostage U.S. journalist, if the U.S. fails to stop its airstrikes in Iraq.
American air support began Aug. 10, with a total of 118 strikes since then. U.S. military officials estimate the tab for military operations in Iraq at about $560 million since mid-June. The Obama administration has been considering expanding its air campaign to include ISIS targets inside Syria.
With News Wire Services
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