Iraqi forces made progress in the center of Ramadi, the largest city in Anbar province, yesterday, a day after reaching the city center and taking control of several neighborhoods. At the same time, eight senior ISIS commanders were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Iraqi Air Force in Hawija and Anbar.
An Iraqi security official announced yesterday that the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces are preparing to storm the Al-Huz area, which includes the government complex, located in the center of Ramadi, after taking control of several neighborhoods in the city center.
A senior CTS officer told AFP that "our forces are preparing to storm the Al-Huz area, where the government complex is located" in the city center.
This progress comes one day after elite forces entered the city center from the southern axis, during which they managed to take control of several neighborhoods in the city, which fell under ISIS control in May.
Regaining control of the government complex could be a major step in confirming complete control over the city of Ramadi, which is expected to be completed within three days, according to a spokesman for the CTS.
Government forces, supported by the US-led international coalition, must move with extreme caution in this city, where the streets are deserted and show signs of destruction.
Before withdrawing from its positions, ISIS was reportedly planting explosives in the streets, roads, and homes, and is escaping through tunnels that may also be booby-trapped and contain a large amount of explosives.
During the clearing operations in the liberated neighborhoods, security forces found large quantities of weapons and ammunition, including giant rockets made from cooking gas cylinders.
Officials estimate that the number of militants in the organization before the recent attack was 300 fighters located in the city center.
Meanwhile, US Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the international coalition, confirmed via video conference from Baghdad that the city's recapture was "inevitable."
He said, "There is still a lot for the Iraqi security forces to do. There will be difficult battles to fight, and this will take time." He added that thousands of civilians remain in the city, "perhaps tens of thousands."
Several officials said that members of the organization are trying to escape from Ramadi through the cordon imposed by Iraqi forces around the city.
Ibrahim al-Fahdawi, head of the security committee in the Khalidiyah district council, said that "dozens of ISIS members fled from the center of Ramadi to the areas of Sufiya and Sajjariya, east of the city."
He added that "this comes after the painful blows that ISIS gangs received in the areas of Al-Bakr, Al-Dubbat, and Al-Aramil in the southern part of the center of Ramadi."
The official Iraqi television reported yesterday, citing an army statement, that eight senior ISIS commanders were killed in airstrikes carried out by the Iraqi Air Force.
The statement added that "F-16 aircraft killed dozens of terrorists in Hawija and Anbar, including eight senior ISIS commanders."
The Iraqi armed forces began an offensive the day before yesterday to drive the organization out of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Hawija is located 210 kilometers north of Baghdad.
As reported by state television, the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army, Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanimi, stated that government forces expect to drive ISIS out of the city of Ramadi within days.
If Ramadi is recaptured, it will be the second major city after Tikrit to be taken back from the organization in Iraq.
Al-Ghanimi added, "In the coming days, we will announce the complete liberation of Ramadi."
Meanwhile, the commander of Anbar police, Major General Hadi Razej, confirmed yesterday that a number of Iraqi families were able to leave Ramadi, despite threats from ISIS. He said that "from the moment the attack on the city of Ramadi began on Tuesday morning, we maintained communication, emphasizing the need to protect the lives of civilians, whom ISIS considered hostages and used as human shields. During the operation, security forces evacuated dozens of them as part of the raid carried out by the counter-terrorism force in Ramadi."
He added that "despite the difficult conditions during the raid, which involved shelling, advances, and assaults, many families left in different directions from within the city of Ramadi, taking advantage of ISIS's weakening and retreat," noting that there is ongoing coordination with security forces to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians and rescue them.
He explained that "hundreds of civilians are still trapped inside Ramadi, despite the ferocity, intensity, and danger of the battle," and that all efforts are being made to try to evacuate them in the coming hours.