Iraq loses control of Ramadi to ISIS
Islamic State Muslims claim they have taken full control of the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Sunday in the biggest defeat for the Baghdad government since last summer.
In a statement, the group said it had seized tanks and killed “dozens of apostates”, its description for members of the Iraqi security forces.
Iraq’s security sources said government forces evacuated a key military base after it came under attack by the Muslim extremists, who had already taken one of the last districts still holding out.
photo/Islamic State flag
An officer who withdrew from the besieged army base said the militants were urging them via loudspeaker to discard their weapons, promising to show mercy in return.
“Most of the troops withdrew from the operations command headquarters and Daesh fighters managed to break in from the southern gate,” the officer said. Daesh is an Arabic name for Islamic State.
“We are retreating to the west to reach a safe area”.
It was the biggest victory for Islamic State in Iraq since security forces and Shi’ite paramilitary groups began pushing the militants back last year, aided by air strikes from a US-led coalition.
US Defense Department, while not confirming the fall of Ramadi, sought to play down the impact on the broader Iraqmilitary campaign of an Islamic State seizure of the city.
“Ramadi has been contested since last summer and ISIL now has the advantage,” Pentagon spokeswoman Elissa Smithsaid, using another acronym for Islamic State. She said the loss of the city would not mean the overall Iraq military campaign was turning in Islamic State’s favor, but acknowledged it would give the group a “propaganda boost.”
“That just means the coalition will have to support Iraqi forces to take it back later,” Smith said, adding that the United States was continuing to provide it air support and advice.
The Iraqi government had vowed to liberate Anbar after routing the militants from the city of Tikrit last month.
[…] ISIS shocked the world with the capture of Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra threatens a UNESCO World Heritage Site described as having “stood at the crossroads of several civilizations,” with its art and architecture mixing Greek, Roman and Persian influences, according to that U.N. group. This success is just days after Sunni extremist group conquered the Iraqi town of Ramadi. […]