ISIS claims full control of Ramadi after Iraqi troops abandon positions (VIDEO)

A car is engulfed by flames during clashes in the city of Ramadi, May 16, 2015 (Reuters / Stringer)

A car is engulfed by flames during clashes in the city of Ramadi, May 16, 2015 (Reuters / Stringer)

Iraqi forces have retreated from a compound they used as a command center in Ramadi, losing control of Aden’s provincial capital to Islamic State militants, despite substantial US airstrike support helping Iraqi troops and loyal militia hold the city.

“Ramadi has fallen,”
said Muhannad Haimour, a
spokesman for the governor of Anbar province.
“The city was completely taken. …
The military is fleeing.”
The spokesman added that at least
500 people were killed in the jihadist offensive.

As the key Iraqi city
fell into IS hands, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan
arrived to meet his Iranian counterpart Khaled al-Obeidi. Iran is
a key ally of Iraq in its war against the jihadists, with the
Iranian military supporting Shiite militias fighting for
Baghdad.

Several militia groups are converging near Ramadi for a
counter-offensive against the militant group.

The Islamist militants claimed their full control of the city
after squashing last major pocket of resistance from tribal and
government forces.

“God has enabled the soldiers of the caliphate to cleanse all
of Ramadi… after storming the 8th brigade. They (now) control
it along with a battalion of tanks and missile launchers and in
addition to the Anbar operations command,”
the Islamic State
(IS, formerly ISIS) statement said. The group also said it had
seized tanks and killed dozens Iraqi security forces.

The final ISIS offensive that drove out government forces and
tribal militias began early Sunday. Militants focused their
attack on police officers defending the Malaab district in
southern Ramadi by simultaneous bombings. Another three suicide
bombers stormed the gate of the military headquarters to take
control of the Anbar Operation Command.

Jihadis “pushed into the Ramadi military command headquarters
after a fierce fight. The whole city is under their
control,”
Ahmed al-Dulaimi, a tribal leader told Bloomberg
via phone.

Local security officials told AP that the militants already
carried out mass killings of Iraqi security forces and civilians.
Sunni tribal leader, Naeem al-Gauoud, said that bodies litter the
streets in Ramadi, while others are thrown in the river.

Two days of fighting in Ramadi had displaced around 8,000 people
according to the International Organization for Migration.

READ MORE:
ISIS captures capital of Iraqi Anbar, raises black flag over
Ramadi govt HQ

Ramadi has been captured despite US-led air support and a
counter-offensive by Iraqi forces to recapture the city. At least
seven airstrikes in Ramadi were conducted in the last 24 hours –
the highest number of strikes to target any single location.
“It is a fluid and contested battlefield,” said Army
Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman. “We are supporting
(the Iraqis) with air power.”

The Pentagon refused to immediately admit Ramadi had fallen, with
Defense Department spokeswoman Maureen Schumann saying it was
“too early to make definitive statements about the situation
on the ground.”
She said the United States was
“continuing to monitor reports of tough fighting in Ramadi
and the situation remains fluid and contested.”

The Islamic State indeed has military advantage in Ramadi, the
Pentagon confirmed, warning that the city falling into the hands
of jihadists would be a great propaganda boost for them. But in
the worst case, official said according to Reuters, the US-led
coalition would support Iraqi army in taking the city back
“later.”

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