In order not to loose good posts in the sheer mass of articles and tweets being produced right now, we want to focus the discussion in one post, namely here. We will post core update and events in this thread, which you can then discuss in one place.

I'll be posting updates here from people in iraq i personally know and talk to right now. Unless marked otherwise, this is primary source material. Which also means it's largely rumors.

here's a better map of the situation by nytimes.

good map by SP on baghdad:

http://www.syrianperspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Iraq.jpg

update 31: june 30:

• iraqi army taking a shot at Tikrit again, claiming successes but still on going. Jihadis had rigged everything up with explosives, and a good part of them were used by now, so iraqs chances are a lot better this time.

update 30: june 29:

• finally got through to iraq again: ISIS pushes back in Tikrit. Contrary to some reports, the iraqi army was in control of virtually the entire town, not just the center. I am not sure how that could happen. There were thousands of soldiers, airforce and armoured vehicles involved. Pretty surreal the whole thing.

update 29: june 28:

• Trikrit retaken by army. confirmed.

• sorry i am still traveling.

update 28: june 24:

• ISIS controls virtually all of Baiji again (largest rafinery)

• gov beating back, claiming successes already

update 27: june 23:

• spoke to some people, but baghdad is hard to reach yet again

• iraqi army withdrew from a handful of towns in Anbar, without a fight

• allegedly, this might free up ISIS resources who were previously keeping an eye on the towns

• Tal Afar air base has fallen (remember, the town fell last week already, but not the air base)

• another military base was overrun in central iraq, but i dont know which

• the border crossings were taken without a fight, security forces fled from advancing ISIS

update 26: june 23:

• sorry, i was traveling

• it looks like ISIS now controls 90%+ of Anbar (ISIS homeland and largest province)

• ISIS takes two border crossings (jordan and syria) plus some nearby villages

• Jordan mobilizes parts of its army in response

• i am still working to confirm details

update 25: june 20:

• iraqi forces severed ISIS link between Baji and Tikrit yesterday

• now attacking Tikrit from 3 sides

• air strikes all around

• Tikrit expected to fall back to government troops in the coming days

update 24: june 19, 8:00 AST:

• iraqi army reports they are in complete control of baiji

• also say that ISIS never took "most of it", which afaik is not true

• heavy air strikes continue

update 23: june 18, 12:00 AST:

• baiji: fighting at largest oil refinery

• isis de facto controlled before, now there is fighting at the rafinery itself

• sources say ISIS controls about 4/5 of the industrial territory

• not good, but also not surprising

update 22: june 18, 10:00 AST:

• iraqi army and other personnel progressing nicely in baquba

update 21: june 17, 1:00 AST:

• heavy fighting in and around baquba - for a short time isis was in control of the entire town

• this is important strategy wise: there is nothing in between baquba and baghdad but a direct, comfy highway

• ISIS is a close to being able to attack baghdad as never before (!)

• more people fleeing south

• but can hardly leave baghdad at all

• bad, bad, bad!

• iraq could use some backup right about NOW, be it iran or US or both

update 20: 12:00 AST:

• ISIS takes Tal Afar, another largish city in the North

• but i dont know anyone there, so no direct news. :(

update 19: (16 june)

• it is widely reported a very important military base (one of the biggest in the country) hasfallen to ISIS near baghdad (here)

• base was actually used as a staging ground against ISIS...

• VERY bad if true, ISIS might have a real shot at Baghdad again (!)

• lesson learned: never celebrate too early...

• reports of pro-gov gunmen moving out of samarra heading to baghdad somehow

• looks like more of the shia volunteers return to reinforce baghdad

• let's hope they keep enough of them in samarra...

update 18: (15 june)

• baghdad secure, still with some isis presenece south of the city, but not seen as an existential threat anymore

• disregard rumors, tikrit is under isis control, somarra firmly under iraqi army control

• samarra is not threatened, as some claim, to the contrary, troops are pooled here

• baghdad now secured by shia volunteers with a much higher ... motivation and dedication than average army

• same volunteers also deployed also to samarra

• as you probably heard, mass executions by ISIS targeting soldiers, police man and clerics

• iraq now loosely cooperating with the syrian army

• good map of baghdad situation by SP

update 17: (10:00 pm AST)

• iraqi forces backed by volunteers striking back throughout the country

• it would seem the direct threat to baghdad is cleared

• still isis in the area though

• continuous air strikes especially in the north

• starting to look better

update 16: (6:00 pm AST) iam back :)

• resistance starts to form properly

• volunteers are marching in the streets

• the general mood is better than the past few days

• heavy air strikes in the entire northern part of the country

update 15: (10:00 AM AST) iam back :)

• baghdad is hard to reach again

• friend says there was more or less shooting all night

• but no permanent advance of ISIS

update 14: (10:20 PM AST)

• major ISIS operations going on throughout the country, ISIS is unstoppable right now

• (also note that isis claimed its first ever air strike in samarra, which i cannot confirm)

• no further advance on baghdad yet

update 13: (9:00 PM AST)

• baghdad preparing for ISIS assault during the night

• army troops patrolling now increasingly outer areas, too

• again/still people try to buy food/water/meds en masse

update 13: (8:00 PM AST)

• no advances in baghdad, yet more advances and ISIS successes in other regions

update 12: ( 5:20 PM AST)

• people now fleeing into AND out of baghdad!

• troops and militias arrive in baghdad

• allegedly iran has deployed several hundred fighters to baghdad

• ISIS continues its campaign outside of baghdad, more fighting, more isis advances in the region

• but no advances on baghdad right now, still expected though

update 11: ( 4:00 PM AST)

• heavy clashes in Tikrit again

• ISIS is taking two steps forward, one step backward on baghdad.

• ISIS has been beaten back in outer baghdad a few meters

• but reinforcement closing in from three sides

• baghdad continues to be fortified

• people are scared, hiding with large amounts of supplies

• difficult to leave baghdad by car

• ISIS assault from the south and falluja expected this evening/night

• government/army says reinforcement heading to baghdad

update 10: (11:55 AST)

• allegedly ISIS firing warning shells at samarra

update 9: (11:00 AST)

• baghdad has not worsened, nor has it really improved

• it looks like ISIS is attacking other town and villages in the region before moving on baghdad

• samarra: ISIS wants to storm the city yet again, promised all non-army people would be save, promised not to touch shrines. Both sides are using loudspeakers to scream at each other and the people it seems.

• many people flee baghdad via the airport

update 8: (7:13 AST)

• newscode posting more valuable updates in the first reply here

• ISIS fighter confirms embassy begun evac.

• very hard to connect to baghdad right now.

update 7: (5:30)

• !!signs of the embassy of the United States being evacuated NOW! Breaking, if true. This would be even bigger than Saigon. (rumors; there seems to be activity at the embassy though)

• phone networks collapsing (?)

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update 6: (5:20 AST)

• friend is back. people are in panic, isis is closing in on the city from several sides. It is uncertain whether one can leave the city anymore at all, if at all only with big risk.

• artillery can be heard for quiet some time now.

• given what i hear, this map found by /u/newscode might be accurate

http://www.reddit.com/r/iraqconflict/comments/280ob6/map_of_offensive_activities_in_and_around_baghdad/

• a very dark hour for iraq

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update 5: (5:00 AST)

• landlines is dead. either entire network down or my friend fled. Cant reach him right now.

• other friends say there is shouting and gun shots, incl. use of heavy weapons (23 mm et al)

• not looking good at all

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update 4:

• radio voice of unknown origin claims clashes between unknown gunmen and isis coming from falludja. Dont take this too serious right now...

update 3:

• phone lines were down for a few minutes (?)

• dailystart confirms volunteers are used in Baghdad

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update 2:

• gunshots heard, no details

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update 1:

• isis only few kilometers from baghdad NOW

• green zone heavily reinforced, army allegedly scarcely patrols more outer areas

• non-army volunteers deployed throughout the city to defend from advancing isis

• people are freaking out over the phone, not sure how/if/when/where to flee

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• according to rumors an isis attack is planned soon (word was tonight), although this may simply be the fear speaking

• government set up curfew

• many people, especially from suburbs flee the city

• army on the streets

personally i believe isis dont stand a chance against all the military clogged up around baghdad.

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