Iraqi Army Retakes 60 Percent of Strategic Region in Eastern Ramadi
The Iraqi army made advances against the ISIL terrorists in the Eastern parts of Ramadi, and took over 60 percent of al-Sajjaria region back from the terrorist group, informed sources announced on Tuesday.
“The security forces managed to seize back over 60 percent of al-Sajjaria in the Eastern parts of Ramadi,” an informed source in Al-Anbar Provincial Command Center said.
The military source reiterated that the Iraqi security forces backed by popular and tribal forces in an operation codenamed LabaikYa Iraq regained control of many areas in Eastern Ramadi, including 60 percent of al-Sajjaria area.
The second phase of the Iraqi popular forces’ operations codenamed LabaikYaRasoulollah 2 was kicked off last Monday to win back Northern Tikrit, capital of Salahuddin province, Southwest Samarra and Ramadi, capital of Anbar province.
“The second operation stretches towards Northern Tikrit to win back control of the remaining regions of the city and Southwest of Samarra; then the forces will head towards Ramadi,” Ain al-Araq News website quoted a statement by Iraqi popular forces as saying.
On Sunday, the Iraqi army, backed volunteer forces, managed to seize back several strategic regions in the neighborhood of the city of Ramadi.
The Iraqi forces took back Al-Tamim, Al-Tash and Al-Hamira regions five kilometers to the East of Ramadi as well as Anbar University seven kilometers to the Southwest of the city.
The tribal forces also freed hundreds of residents and Iraqi soldiers who had been deployed in al-SarSar and Japanese bridge regions and had been sent into incarceration in Al-Anbar University after being captured by the ISIL in Ramadi.
The Iraqi troops also seized back Ameri region to the South of Fallujah and a major part of Al-Karameh region in the Northwest.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that the Iraqi forces were very close to Ramadi city center.
The Iraqi forces are now only three kilometers away from Ramadi city center and they have taken control of ISIL military base in the city, FNA dispatches said earlier today.
“The militants were forced to withdraw from the military base after we attacked them from the Western side of Ramadi,” the Arabic-language As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper quoted Al-Anbar Police Chief HadiRazih as saying.
Earlier today, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi strongly criticized lack of international support for his country’s war against the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.
“ISIL’s advance in the region presents failure and defeat for the whole world,” the Iraqi prime minister said, addressing a press conference in Paris.
Al-Abadi underlined that Iraq needs support of the whole world to combat the Takfiri terrorists, “but, we are not getting much; there are a lot of talks about support for Iraq, there is very little on the ground.”
Abadi is on a visit to Paris to take part in a meeting on ISIL and win international support in the fight against the terrorists.
“What I can see for Iraq, the flow of foreign fighters is more than before,” he added.
Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and some Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.
The ISIL has links with Saudi intelligenceand is believed to be indirectly supported by the Israeli regime.
ISIL terrorists suffer major losses in Western Baghdad
Meanwhile, more than six terrorists were killed and seven others wounded in heavy fighting between the Iraqi army and ISIL Takfiri group in Western Baghdad, a military source said.
A senior Iraqi source, preferring anonymity, said that the Iraqi soldiers backed by the country’s artillery killed more than 6 ISIL terrorists in the region of Qarma on Monday.
The army troops also identified and destroyed five main compounds of the Takfiri group in the areas of Rashad and Shihabi in West of Baghdad.
The ISIL Takfiri terrorists have threatened all communities, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq and Syria.
FNA
R.S