ADF praised for role in Ramadi recapture

Ramadi remains a no-man’s land after ISIS were forced from the Iraqi city – because militants have planted booby-traps in homes and along roads.

They stay in close verbal touch with Iraqis counterparts who are out on the battlefield and receive information that is then “fused” with other data, from sources such as drones and satellites, to identify moving Islamic State targets, he said at a briefing to journalists a fortnight ago. It was barred from the week-long battle to retake Ramadi to avoid tension with the Sunni population.

USA officials appear to be more cautious about the scale of the challenge than their jubilant Iraqi counterparts. Some districts appeared to have been completely destroyed by the advance.

He said that the figure would grow because assessments could not be immediately carried out in some neighbourhoods that had not been cleared of mines.

The city has suffered “huge devastation”, Al-Belawi said.

But while the airstrikes eventually helped flush out the militants, they smashed large parts of the city into rubble.

‘For all of them at least the span has dropped, ‘ he said, adding that he estimated it would take at least weeks to fix them.

Describing the liberation of the city centre of Ramadi as a major milestone in the fight against ISIS, Senator John McCain said the recent capture of Tishreen Dam by opposition forces in Syria, similarly supported by USA and coalition forces, also represents a meaningful setback for the militant group.

U.S. President Barack Obama, vacationing in Hawaii with his family, received an update on Monday on the Iraqi forces’ progress in Ramadi, the White House said. After clearing that area, they found more bombs scattered every 50m or so, he said.

He declined to provide civilian casualties numbers and the condition of civilians in the city.

Small pockets of resistance remain in Ramadi after Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes spent the past week on an intensified offensive that led to the recapture of the main government complex and a visit Tuesday from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Such a strategy would echo the US military’s “surge” campaign of 2006-2007, which relied on recruiting and arming Sunni tribal fighters against al Qaeda, the precursor to ISIS.

Even before IS rolled in, Ramadi bore scars from the eight-year USA intervention in Iraq.

Critically, the victory in the Sunni-dominated Anbar provincial capital was carried out without help from Shiite irregular militias, who had previously done much of the fighting but also stand accused of their own sectarian atrocities.

The coalition, which includes European and Arab nations, has been waging an air campaign against ISIS positions in both Iraq and Syria since mid-2014.

‘In Ramadi, these efforts will be led by the Iraqi government and coordinated on the ground by Anbar Governor Sohaib al-Rawi and his team, ‘ he said, adding that the USA and members of the Coalition have pledged or contributed over $50 million to the UNDP stabilisation fund to support these efforts.