ISIL Chooses Mobility Rather than Head-On Fighting Under Airstrikes

• Islamic State insurgents chose to yield ground, [WaPo] rather than fight Iraqi and Kurdish forces whose effort to take back an important dam near Mosul is backed by US airstrikes. But ISIL reportedly booby-trapped buildings, and is still close by.

• US Army Col. Joel Rayburn says that Iraq is almost out of time [WaPo], and explains just how messy its disintegration would be. Ali Khedery of the NY Times talks about Iraq’s last chance, but sees some good news in the new Prime Minister.

• Meanwhile the Taliban are attacking Afghan forces with the aim of taking and holding positions, with hundreds of fighters making a push [Reuters] in Logar, near Kabul.