Iraq forces launch preparatory operation for Ramadi assault

[European Knight]

http://www.afp.com/en/news/iraq-forc...ramadi-assault

Iraqi forces launched an operation in desert areas northeast of Ramadi Tuesday aimed at cutting off the jihadists and preparing a bid to retake the city, a militia spokesman said.

The operation will see a mix of security forces and paramilitaries move south from Salaheddin province, said Ahmed al-Assadi, spokesman for the Hashed al-Shaabi.

The Hashed al-Shaabi ("popular mobilisation" in Arabic) is an umbrella group for mostly Shiite militia and volunteers, which the government called in after the Islamic State group captured Ramadi on May 17.

"The operation's goal is to liberate those regions between Salaheddin and Anbar and try to isolate the province of Anbar," Assadi told AFP.

He said it had been dubbed "Operation Labaik ya Hussein", which roughly translates as "We are at your service, Hussein" and refers to one of the most revered imams in Shiite Islam.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his US allies had been reluctant to deploy Iran-backed Shiite militia in Anbar, a predominantly Sunni province.

Anbar's provincial capital Ramadi had resisted IS assaults for more than a year but fell earlier this month after a massive offensive and a chaotic retreat by security forces.

The Islamic State group controls most of Anbar, which borders territory it holds in neighbouring Syria.

Pockets of government control include some eastern areas near the capital, the city of Haditha, parts of the town of Al-Baghdadi and the Al-Asad air base, where hundreds of US military advisers are stationed.

[Vullkan]

The fall of ramadi was by hand of ex prime minister maliki.The army simply left before the battle.The shia want to have the sunni towns destroyed before taking them.

[European Knight]

Iraq opens operation to choke off Islamic State lifelines in Ramadi - The Washington Post

Iraq begins operation to oust Islamic State from Anbar

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq vowed Tuesday to retake Anbar province — now mostly held by the Islamic State — by launching a large-scale military operation less than two weeks after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of the extremists in the provincial capital of Ramadi.

The operation, which Iraqi state TV said was backed by Shiite militias and Sunni pro-government fighters, is deemed critical in regaining momentum in the fight.

But as a sandstorm descended across the region, there was no sign of any major engagement against the extremists, who have been gaining ground in the province west of Baghdad despite U.S.-led airstrikes.

A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, said Iraqi forces have begun "shaping operations" and "security zone interactions," which he described as probing and reconnaissance actions that would precede any major combat in or around Ramadi.

The Iraqis have begun moving forward from their base at Habbaniyah, and IS fighters likewise are probing in the direction of Habbaniyah, Warren said. He added that he could not confirm that the Iraqi forces have surrounded Ramadi.

The Islamic State — also known by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL, and Daesh in Arabic — seized large parts of Anbar in early 2014 and captured Ramadi earlier in May. Iraqi forces, which had been making steady progress against the extremists in recent months with the help of the air campaign, scored a major victory in recapturing Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit last month.