Six Cities in Iraq Where U.S. Victories Turned into Defeat

Photo Credit: Larry Downing / ReutersCity names that were frequently in newspapers years ago have returned to the headlines. One by one, towns in Iraq are falling to either Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an al-Qaeda splinter group, to Kurdish militants or to other tribal forces. The cities where soldiers fought and overthrew violent insurgencies are now the scenes of bloodshed once again. Here is a look back at Washington Post stories that described these regions after U.S. victories, and the bleak conditions in those cities today.

FALLUJAH

2004: “The city has been seized,” said Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. “We have liberated the city of Fallujah.” “Fighting in Fallujah nears end” by Jackie Spinner, Nov. 15, 2004.

2014: Fallujah was the first major city in Iraq that fell to ISIS earlier this year. “At the moment, there is no presence of the Iraqi state in Fallujah… The police and the army have abandoned the city, al-Qaeda has taken down all the Iraqi flags and burned them, and it has raised its own flag on all the buildings,” said a local journalist who asked not to be named because he fears for his safety. “Al-Qaeda force captures Fallujah amid rise in violence in Iraq” by Liz Sly, Jan. 3, 2014

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