ISIS fighting back in Ramadi

One woman who was evacuated from an IS-held area on the eastern edge of Ramadi said the militants tried to round up residents when some of them started fleeing.

Nada says her husband was taken away by ISIS fighters with a sword held to his neck.

Nada’s husband managed to escape ISIS, but now like numerous men evacuated from Ramadi has been taken in for government questioning.

Damaged buildings are seen in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016.

Now they are exhausted, they’re cold but they’re finally somewhat safe. “The bodies of the Islamic State fighters had been absolutely pulverized”, a military source said. They decided not to go through with either plan after discovering innocent civilians were being used as human shields on the property.

“We have been without food for two months, no water for the past 10 days”, she said.

“We were 15 homes”. If ISIS fighters driven from Ramadi find welcoming hosts in the Sunni population, the army could find itself tied down in stalemate.

“They are clearing several other neighbourhoods”, he said. “We only saw their hands and their legs”. The army performed pretty well, according to USA observers.

He said they were detained on Thursday and would be interrogated.

Islamic State, also known by the English acronyms ISIS or ISIL or the Arabic acronym Daesh, has declared a “caliphate” to rule over all Muslims from territory it controls in both Iraq and Syria.

The black and white video accompanied by intense classical music shows trucks within the crosshairs of Iraqi air force planes, before missiles create explosions that blot out the screen.

But during the live coverage, explosions and gunfire could be still be heard in the background.

The troops have been fighting for months to retake control of key cities and towns in Iraq’s largest province of Anbar from the IS militants, who have seized most of Anbar and tried to advance towards Baghdad.

Most of the attacks were outside central Ramadi to the north and east, spokesman for the US-led coalition, Col Steve Warren, told the AFP news agency.

Night falls and the men gather around the fire.

Fantappie said any attempt to retake Falluja could face local resistance because of a deal struck more than two years ago between the jihadis and the city’s tribal and urban elements. For now, many of these tents – too many – stand empty.