Iraqi Troops Attack Central Ramadi, Vow Victory in a Few Days

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, Colonel Steve Warren, told the Journal that US intelligence estimates that only about 250 to 350 Islamic State fighters remain in Ramadi, down from about 600 to 1,000 fighters.

However, Iraqi forces have been heavily reliant on USA airstrikes as they slowly reclaim territory from the militants.

IRAQI security forces advanced into the centre of Ramadi for a final push aimed at retaking the city they lost to the Islamic State group in May, officials said.

“Crossing the river was the main difficulty”, he said. Iraqi commanders say they expect to regain all of Ramadi before the New Year, reports the Washington Post.

“We went into the centre of Ramadi from several fronts and we began purging residential areas”, said Sabah Al Noman, spokesman of the elite Iraqi counter-terrorism service.

Warren said US officials found a pamphlet in Fallujah that was distributed to IS fighters, calling on them to disguise themselves as Iraqi security forces and then film themselves committing atrocities, such as killing and torturing civilians and blowing up mosques.

Noting the authenticity of the documents, Warren said: “The fighters in this order are directed to film their actions, distribute the videos, and to do all this in order to discredit both the ISF and the government of Iraq”.

Warren said Iraqi forces had dropped leaflets telling residents what routes to use to escape.

Even if the Iraqi military finally does reclaim Ramadi from the Islamic State, regional experts warn, the Sunni city will not take kindly to being overrun by the Shiite-dominated Iraqi military.

Last month, government forces completed their encirclement of the predominantly Sunni Arab city, about 90km west of Baghdad, cutting off jihadists inside the centre from strongholds elsewhere in Anbar province and in neighbouring Syria.

Successfully seizing Ramadi would be one of the Iraqi army’s biggest battlefield victories since Islamic State militants overran large swaths of the country in June 2014.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi reiterated his reluctance to allow USA ground troops to join the fight. Although the Shiite fighters are among the most effective of Iraq’s military forces – playing a crucial role in retaking northern cities like Tikrit and Baiji – they have been kept out of the Ramadi fight for fear of alienating the local population.