ISIS is winning in Iraq and threatening Baghdad. CNN.

The blag flag of ISIS in Syria. They are winning in Iraq too. -CNN

Leaders in Iraq's Anbar province are desperately calling for U.S. ground intervention to stem the tide against ISIS. -CNN. The situation in Anbar province is dire, with 80% of the territory under ISIS control. If Anbar were to fall then ISIS will be in a great position to threaten Iraqi capital Baghdad. Iraqi troops are so desperate for American help they are threatening to lay down their arms and flee if they don't get it. So far both America and Iraq have rejected calls for U.S. combat troops in Iraq. Iraqi units are at risk of being cut off and destroyed in Anbar and they have deployed their Apache helicopters despite heavy losses. For now Baghdad is secure, but there are worries that the city may be threatened. Baghdad airport is especially vulnerable. 

My Comment:

It is time for the Iraqi security forces to sink or swim. They won't be getting the ground forces they so desperately need. America just doesn't have the will to deploy ground forces. At least not yet. Could that change if ISIS actually comes close to taking Baghdad? I don't know. These are uncertain times and almost anything can happen. I do know that the situation in Anbar province is about as bad as it has ever been. 

So what happens if Baghdad falls? A wholesale slaughter. Anyone who isn't a Sunni Muslim, and even some who are, will either be killed or enslaved. Anyone left from the United States or other foreign powers will be held hostage and possibly executed. The Iraqi government would go into exile, probably to Basra. Iraq would cease to exist as a nation. There would be huge political consequences in the United States as Barack Obama's strategy would be completely defeated. 

Will it happen? Again, it is hard to say. Iraqi security forces have proven to be completely unable to stop ISIS. U.S. airstrikes haven't had much of an impact. ISIS is coming off of victory after victory and are recruiting hundreds of new fighters. Nobody seems to know what to do. In short, I'm not optimistic.