Iraqi security forces have moved to within a few hundred meters of the government complex in Ramadi, as they try for a decisive victory to retake the devastated city from Islamic State militants.
Iraqi officials said December 26 snipers, improvised roadside bombs and suicide attackers have slowed the push to root out the remaining militants, who seized the city in May.
A spokesman, Brigadier Yahya Rasool, said army troops and an elite counterterrorism unit were within 800 meters of the complex, helped by air strikes from the U.S.-led international coalition.
As many as 400 fighters are believed to remain in the city.
If government troops retake Ramadi, it will be the second major city, after Tikrit, to be retaken.
That would give Iraq’s government and its allies badly needed momentum to push Islamic State out of the rest of its territory, including the country’s second largest city, Mosul.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Authorities Seek Answers After Deadly Crash Of Azerbaijani Passenger Jet In Kazakhstan
2North Korean Troops Take Pounding In Kursk As Kim Reportedly Doubles Down
3'So Much Death': Ukrainian Drone Pilot Shares Emotional Account Of Frontline Combat
4Syrian Islamist Rulers Shun The Taliban Governance Model
5Mystery Photos Shed Light On Romania's 1989 Revolution
6Iran's Supreme Leader Calls On Syrians To Resist Rebel Government
7Russia Launches Massive Drone Attack As Putin Vows Revenge For Kyiv's Attack On Kazan
8Ukraine Recovers After 'Inhumane' Christmas Day Attacks; Biden Vows New Weapons 'Surge'
9Ukraine Live Briefing: Russia Targets Ukrainian Energy Sector Again
10Mounting Evidence Suggests Russian Air Defenses Hit Passenger Jet Before Crash
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
