Iraq on Sunday declared that it had liberated Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province west of Baghdad in central part of the country and was conducting combing operations in the area to check for bombs or booby traps left behind by Islamic State fighters.
Advertisement
Kristen Bell Set to Guest Star on Upcoming Episode of ‘iZombie’
Bell will follow such other Mars alum as Ryan Hansen, Percy Daggs III, David Starzyk, Adam Rose and Daran Norris. She formerly narrated Veronica Mars as well as Gossip Girl , and starred as Anna in the animated movie Frozen.
“The continued progress of the Iraqi security forces in the fight to retake Ramadi is a testament to their courage and determination, and our shared commitment to push ISIL (Islamic State) out of its safe-havens”, the White House said.
“The Force Awakens” Dominates Theaters
Disney and Lucasfilm couldn’t have hoped for a better reception, both critically and financially. The seventh film in the Star Wars series has till date made 4.5 million in the United States.
Al-Abadi specifically addressed the residents of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, which came under Islamic State control in June 2014, during the militant group’s blitzkrieg to occupy much of northern Iraq.
Osweiler has displayed a cool head in place of Manning
Denver didn’t get on the scoreboard until McManus kicked a 23-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining in the second quarter. McCarron, making his second start, finished the first half 12-of-17 for 119 yards and a 109.7 quarterback rating.
There was a celebratory atmosphere in Baghdad, where state television showed images of people dancing and letting off fireworks as they waved the Iraqi flag in the streets.
Abadi’s Shi’ite-led government has said for months it would prove the rebuilt capability of the army by reversing militant gains in Anbar, a mainly Sunni, largely desert province stretching to the borders of Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Ramadi and nearby Fallujah, which is controlled by ISIS, saw some of the heaviest fighting of the eight-year US intervention in Iraq.
A spokesman for Iraq’s counter terrorism forces, Sabah al-Numan said that, a precise planning and constant coordination with the US led global coalition and local Sunni tribes, tipped the balance on the battlefield.
The reclamation of Ramadi marks Iraq’s first major victory against ISIS.
Washington had hoped that potentially decisive battle would take place in 2015, but it was pushed back after IS seized Ramadi. This loss of Ramadi [in May] was a huge blow to the Iraqi forces …
The most powerful groups in the Hashed al-Shaabi played only a peripheral role in the Ramadi battle, as Mr Abadi and the US-led coalition wanted federal forces to regain confidence by spearheading the operation.
He declined to provide civilian casualties numbers and the condition of civilians in the city.
He said it was now important for the Iraqi government to maintain the peace in Ramadi, prevent the return of IS, and to help Ramadi’s citizens to return to the city.
After encircling the provincial capital for weeks, Iraqi forces launched an assault to retake it last week.
Advertisement
“He is excited about this victory, because he managed to remove this blot from his historical record as commander-in-chief of the armed forces”, said Hisham al-Hashimi, a Baghdad-based analyst who has worked with the Iraqi government. “They were not, frankly, a significant player in the seizure of Ramadi”, he said.
