Islamic State (IS) captured the town of al-Baghdadi on Saturday, approximately 5 miles from a military base where American troops are currently stationed, after clashes with the Iraqi army over the weekend.
This is “the first [time] in at least a couple of months, if not more, where [Islamic State] have had any success in taking any new ground,” said Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman.
The New York Times reported that Iraqi troops suddenly withdrew in the early hours of Saturday after recapturing many buildings from IS, handing control of the town back to the militants. Colonel Shaaban al-Obeidi, a commander in a police combat unit in Baghdadi said he had “no explanation” for the withdrawal.
The town is located some 5 miles from the Ain al-Asad air base where around 400 US troops are currently stationed. The base itself came under attack on Friday by some 20-25 IS militants. No US or Iraqi or were injured in the attack said the Pentagon, highlighting that US troops were not involved in defending the base.
The latest Islamic State advance comes after the US announced nine air strikes were launched against the organisation in Iraq and Syria from Friday through to Saturday.
See more from the Guardian here.