Iraq deploys coalition-trained troops to Ramadi fight for first time

Currently, the U.S., in addition to having stationed approximately 3,600 troops to train Iraqi soldiers, is also carrying out airstrikes targeting cities held by the Sunni militant group.

His visit came as Iraqi troops, a few of which were trained by the United States, tightened the noose on IS in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province which the government lost in May.

Carter, who has criticized Iraqi forces for lacking a will to fight in Ramadi, said he sought to form “my own on-the-ground assessment of the campaign” against the Sunni militants.

US President Barack Obama has ruled out deploying ground forces in Iraq, insisting that the only solution for Iraq is to eventually fight for itself. But Warren said no such recommendation has yet been made.

The outgoing chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Martin Dempsey, was foremost among those generals.

The loss of Ramadi in May was the Iraqi army’s worst defeat since Islamic State militants swept through the country’s north last summer. The administration instead has sent arms through the central government, reasoning that this preserves the hope of avoiding a final division of the country into sectarian and ethnic enclaves. They became part of the Islamic State’s arsenal and were then targeted in US air strikes.

He plans to discuss the looming assault with Iraqi officials and with Americans involved in training the Iraqi Army. Warren said there are between 1,000 and 2,000 Islamic State fighters in Ramadi and “several thousand” Iraqi troops in the area now. Nor, as stated by Pentagon policy, can the US provide air support for forces outside Iraqi government command.

At least 500 of those Sunni tribal fighters are expected to take part in the Ramadi operation, Warren said in Baghdad.

The official described the assault on Ramadi as in an “isolation” phase, in which the city is encircled to deprive ISIS of resupply.

ISIL’s capture of Ramadi earlier this year was a major blow to the confidence of Iraq’s beleaguered security forces, particularly after the terrorist group seized Mosul last June. The government has relied heavily on these counterterrorism forces in operations against the Islamic State over the past 18 months. He was briefed by Iraqi officials on the deployment of the coalition-trained troops.