Carter’s remark on Wednesday was the latest sign of USA willingness to intensify its involvement in the fight against the IS, also known as ISIL.
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“Now we can say that the Iraqi security forces have regained more than 70 percent of Ramadi city and hope to gain the rest soon”, Karhout said.
Iraqi forces withdrew in large numbers from the city in May, a pullout regarded as a huge setback to the anti-ISIS campaign, and spurred U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter to question whether the Iraqis lacked the “will to fight”.
Al-Mahlawi, the Iraqi commander in Anbar, said coalition and Iraqi aircraft contributed significantly to the operation, opening “the way before we sent combat units in”. It is clear, though, that the Pentagon and the White House are now leaning toward a more direct approach as they continue to ramp up ground operations to defeat the Islamic State. USA airstrikes helped Iraqi troops regain control of the strategic city.
Asked whether New Zealand was likely to step up its commitment, he replied: “I think it is unlikely”.
But even as Carter and Selva highlighted progress made against the terrorist group, Selva said that 40 percent of US war planes return each day without having struck targets in Iraq or Syria.
As the counter-terrorism forces that led the offensive prepared their next move, local forces from Anbar province moved in to hold recaptured territory.
But leaving isn’t necessarily easy.
Ramadi residents have reported that Islamic State-controlled checkpoints in the city have prevented many from fleeing.
US Marines scan streets and surrounding buildings for insurgents during a patrol in Ramadi in 2006.
‘The notion that the U.S is anti-Muslim is part of ISIS’s narrative, al-Qaeda’s narrative and other terrorist groups, ‘ he said.
“We are trying to leave right now, but Daesh militants are right out in front of our houses, and they are announcing on loudspeakers from mosques that people who leave will be considered apostates”, said the man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of concerns for his family’s safety. They asked why there was a delay in American air power going after certain ISIS targets. “The government is not proving us any guarantees that we will be safe during our trip south”.
Offered a chance by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday to expand on the Pentagon’s cryptic outline of the force’s makeup and mission, Defense Secretary Ash Carter demurred.
“We’ve seen this before; they tend to blow up not just bridges, but a lot of infrastructure inside the city”, Haimour said.
“The liberation of Al-Tameem was very important and… enables other forces to advance toward the centre of the city of Ramadi”, said Sabah al-Noman, the spokesperson for Iraq’s counter-terrorism forces. For months Iraqi forces have cut off supply routes into Ramadi.
“But this is a worldwide phenomenon, and I’ve talked to leaders – I was recently talking to some leaders in Southeast Asia, actually about many things, but one of the things they raised is concern about little patches of ISIL and self-radicalization of the kind that we find”. Turkey is a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
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Some 3,500 troops in six locations support the Iraqi security forces with increased lethal fire and are augmenting the training, advising and assisting program, Carter told the senators.
