Large Numbers of ISIS Fighters Surrender in Iraq

It should come as no surprise given the current administration's choice in Defense Secretary, but the last stronghold of ISIS in Iraq has fallen with ISIS fighters surrender coming in record numbers. So much for the “fight or die” that the militants swore they would do to outlast U.S. and Iraqi forces. Numbering well over 1,000, these fighters were telling coalition forces “Our leaders have abandoned us, we haven’t been fed, we haven’t been paid.” Lt. General Paul Funk stated that “The speed at which the enemy gave up surprised me.” It isn’t that crazy though, considering the enemy knows that the United States has taken the gloves off and is fully committed to winning the war against ISIS and its radical ideologies. Thanks to SecDef James Mattis and the current administration, ISIS is indeed on the run.According to sources on the ground, there was little to no resistance offered by these fighters captured outside of Hawijah. Aside from a few IED’s and booby traps, the fighters were coming out with hands up and laying their weapons down. The last gasps of a dying animal were the claims that ISIS was responsible for the Las Vegas shooting. The trend of ISIS surrendering is becoming more and more commonplace after the fall of Mosul. Many of you remember that the battle for Mosul lasted nine months, but this last battle was hardly even worth calling a battle.

The sheer volume of surrenders is unlike anything seen since the Iraqi Army was surrendering en-masse back in 2003. Despite claims that these men were only cooks or clerks, the Kurdish authorities are wasting no time interrogating them. While this is a positive sign, it could mean a rash of new violence as ISIS tries to re-assert itself in the region.As the terror group’s power dwindles and their territory shrinks, several ISIS commanders have been telling their troops to surrender to Kurdish authorities for fear of harsher treatment from other opponents. We highly doubt the Kurds who were displaced and targeted by ISIS in such a monumental way have the same thoughts as these ISIS commanders. ISIS now only controls a small strip of land on the Syrian/Iraqi border. Given the circumstances, that land will probably be surrendered to Iraqi or Kurdish forces sooner than ISIS may want to. We can’t forget the adage about a wounded animal that feels trapped. ISIS, though dwindling in power and influence, may lash out. It is imperative that we continue the course set by the Pentagon and finish them quickly. Lt. General Funk has the right mindset knowing that the enemy is on the run doesn’t mean the war is over as he tells reporters “It won’t be easy and won’t be quick.” War is never as simple as we’d like it to be, nor as quick as we’d hope for it to be.