Iraqi forces closing in on ISIS in Ramadi, military official says
Source: CNN
(CNN) — Iraq's military is just about a mile away from the ISIS-held government compound in Ramadi in Iraq's battle to retake the city from the terrorist group, a spokesman for the Joint Iraqi Operations Command said. Col. Mohammed Ibrahim said, "Thousands of improvised explosive devices were planted in the district by Daesh (ISIS). Each one needs at least 30 minutes to be dismantled."
Soldiers are going slowly through liberated neighborhoods of the city looking for ISIS terroists amids the IEDs. "We have to be very patient in order not to lose any soldier or any civilian in the area," Ibrahim said. With the help of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, Iraqi forces are in the second day of a coordinated attack on Ramadi, a city about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Baghdad and the capital of Anbar province.
The Iraqi flag has been hoisted over two recaptured Ramadi neighborhoods, Iraq's Joint Operations Command said.
...Government officials said there are no Shiite militias involved in fighting on the front lines to liberate Ramadi. Most of the ISIS militants still fighting in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi are foreign fighters, the governor of Anbar province told CNN Thursday.
...He said some Shiite militias are stationed on the southern outskirts of Ramadi, but are not directly involved in ongoing operations, and Sunni militias comprised primarily of Anbar tribesmen are tasked with holding ground already recaptured by Iraq's military and clearing it of IEDs.
Having Shiite militias battle in this Sunni stronghold was a concern of the central government, especially in procuring support from among the local tribes in the battle against ISIS.
Read more: http://cnnphilippines.com/world/2015/12/25/Iraqi-forces-closing-in-on-ISIS-in-Ramadi.html
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