Car bombings kill at least 7 north of Baghdad

Meanwhile, a wave of attacks across Iraq killed at least 15 civilians on Wednesday.

The anti-terrorism troops, backed by Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft, engaged in heavy clashes with IS militants in the early morning hours in Albu Diyab area in northern Ramadi, which is located some 110 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. An official at the Armenian embassy in Baghdad confirmed the meeting took place without giving further details.

The attacks came a day after Iraqi security forces reported progress in recapturing some areas in the western city of Ramadi, 80 miles west of Baghdad, from the Islamic State extremists who control territory in western and northern Iraq and in neighboring Syria. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.

“It could be symbolic in strengthening more local resistance in Anbar against ISIS, supported by Iraqi federal forces”, Witty said. There are about 750 Iraqi security forces advancing on an estimated 125 fighters from the so-called Islamic State – also known as ISIL – who have dug in on the front line and appear willing to fight to the death.

Nevertheless, Islamic State has made some high-profile gains, such as the historic Syrian town of Palmyra and the city centre of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar, Iraq’s largest province. There are some Shiite militia members and forces that are on the outskirts of Ramadi near the southern border, but they are not directly involved in the ongoing operations storming into Ramadi’s city limits.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the situation in Afghanistan was deteriorating due to the appearance of Islamic State groups there. The fight for Ramadi is advancing with significant United States air support and with special counterterrorism units trained by USA forces deployed in Iraq.

Intense fighting between Iraqi forces – comprising the army, tribal groups and local police – and ISIL fighters continued on Thursday, two days after the latest operation to recapture the city began in earnest.

“There’s still a long way to go before we can declare Ramadi is completely clear”, he said in a telephonic press briefing.

“We’ve entered the centre”, said Brigadier General Hamid al-Fatlawi, commander of the Iraqi Army’s 8th Division.

But tens of thousands of civilians remain in Ramadi, and “ISIS is surrounding them and preventing them from leaving”, said Hikmet Suleiman, an adviser to the governor of Anbar province. Former Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie told the BBC that such an independent triumph would give the nation’s fledgling military a “huge moral and strategic boost”. But with Iraqi forces on the verge of taking back Ramadi, it’s allowing them to score their biggest victory since the Islamic State captured large portions of their country in June 2014.

It could also provide evidence that the Obama administration’s strategy for defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria – which Defense Secretary Ashton Carter defined as “Raqqa, Ramadi, and raids” – is starting to work.