Iraqi forces storm Ramadi center, predict victory within days
Iraqi armed forces stormed the center of Ramadi Tuesday as their bid to dislodge Islamic State militants continues.
Some 300 militants remain in their city center stronghold but an army spokesperson said the battle would be won within a matter of days.
The militants, who are also known as ISIL, overran Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar province, in May. Iraqi forces began the offensive to retake the city, which lies just 100 kilometers west of Baghdad, in November.
But progress has been slow as the government was reluctant to use Shi’ite militia in the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, in order to avoid rights abuses such as occurred after the recapture of the city of Tikrit from the militants in April.
Tuesday’s operation began at dawn when Iraqi troops crossed the Euphrates river into Ramadi’s central districts. The military units used a bridge that was destroyed by the militants and fixed by army engineers, and another floating bridge set up to bring in more forces. Th
Some 300 militants remain in their city center stronghold but an army spokesperson said the battle would be won within a matter of days.
The militants, who are also known as ISIL, overran Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar province, in May. Iraqi forces began the offensive to retake the city, which lies just 100 kilometers west of Baghdad, in November.
But progress has been slow as the government was reluctant to use Shi’ite militia in the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, in order to avoid rights abuses such as occurred after the recapture of the city of Tikrit from the militants in April.
Tuesday’s operation began at dawn when Iraqi troops crossed the Euphrates river into Ramadi’s central districts. The military units used a bridge that was destroyed by the militants and fixed by army engineers, and another floating bridge set up to bring in more forces. Th