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| Ramadi falls to Isis despite Iraqi PM's call for reinforcements | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Isis fighters have driven Iraqi government forces from the city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, according to a local government spokesman. The fall of the city, which lies to the west of Baghdad, came only hours after Iraq’s prime minister called for the area’s defence to be reinforced. | Isis fighters have driven Iraqi government forces from the city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, according to a local government spokesman. The fall of the city, which lies to the west of Baghdad, came only hours after Iraq’s prime minister called for the area’s defence to be reinforced. |
| Bodies, some burned, littered the streets as local officials reported the militants carried out mass killings of Iraqi security forces and civilians. Online video showed Humvees, trucks and other equipment speeding out of the city, with soldiers gripping onto their sides. | |
| Muhannad Haimour, a spokesman for the governor of Anbar province, said on Sunday evening that Ramadi had been taken by Isis fighters who had largely overrun it over the weekend. They also took the military’s operational command in the city, he said. “The city was completely taken ... It was a gradual deterioration,” said Haimour. “The military is fleeing.” Federal authorities did not comment. Isis later released a statement claiming its troops had full control of the city. | Muhannad Haimour, a spokesman for the governor of Anbar province, said on Sunday evening that Ramadi had been taken by Isis fighters who had largely overrun it over the weekend. They also took the military’s operational command in the city, he said. “The city was completely taken ... It was a gradual deterioration,” said Haimour. “The military is fleeing.” Federal authorities did not comment. Isis later released a statement claiming its troops had full control of the city. |
| By late Sunday, a large number of Shia militiamen had arrived at a military base near Ramadi, apparently to participate in a possible counter-offensive, said the head of the Anbar provincial council, Sabah Karhout. | |
| “We welcome any group, including Shiite militias, to come and help us in liberating the city from the militants. What happened today is a big loss caused by lack of good planning by the military,” a Sunni tribal leader, Naeem al-Gauoud, told the Associated Press. | |
| He said many tribal fighters died trying to defend the city, and bodies had been thrown in the Euphrates river. Ramadi’s mayor, Dalaf al-Kubaisi, said more than 250 civilians and security forces had been killed over the past two days, including dozens of police and other government supporters shot dead in the streets or their homes, along with their wives, children and other family members. | |
| The US-led coalition said on Sunday it conducted seven airstrikes in Ramadi in the past 24 hours. “It is a fluid and contested battlefield,” said Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman. “We are supporting [the Iraqis] with air power.” | |
| Earlier on Sunday, prime minister Haider al-Abadi ordered Shia militia to prepare to enter the fray after reports that the Islamic extremists had driven government forces from a key military base on the outskirts of Ramadi and that some security forces had laid down their weapons, abandoned their vehicles and fled. | Earlier on Sunday, prime minister Haider al-Abadi ordered Shia militia to prepare to enter the fray after reports that the Islamic extremists had driven government forces from a key military base on the outskirts of Ramadi and that some security forces had laid down their weapons, abandoned their vehicles and fled. |
| By ordering the Shia militia into a Sunni-dominated region, Abadi runs the risk of their presence sparking sectarian hostilities. | By ordering the Shia militia into a Sunni-dominated region, Abadi runs the risk of their presence sparking sectarian hostilities. |
| Sunday’s retreat recalled the collapse of Iraqi security forces in summer last year in the face of the Islamic State group’s blitz into Iraq that saw it capture a third of the country. It also calls into question the Obama administration’s hopes of relying solely on airstrikes to support the Iraqi forces in expelling the extremists. | |
| Police and army officials said four near-simultaneous bombings targeted police officers defending the Malaab district in southern Ramadi on Sunday, killing 10 and wounding 15. Officials said that among the dead was the Malaab police station’s chief, Colonel Muthana al-Jabri. | |
| A statement by the Iraqi military called on its forces not to abandon Anbar province. “Victory will be in the side of Iraq because Iraq is defending its freedom and dignity,” the military said. | A statement by the Iraqi military called on its forces not to abandon Anbar province. “Victory will be in the side of Iraq because Iraq is defending its freedom and dignity,” the military said. |
| Police said three suicide bombers drove explosive-laden cars into the gate of the Anbar Operation Command, the military headquarters for the province, killing five soldiers and wounding 12. Fierce clashes erupted between security forces and Isis militants following the attacks. Isis militants eventually seized the Malaab area after government forces withdrew. | Police said three suicide bombers drove explosive-laden cars into the gate of the Anbar Operation Command, the military headquarters for the province, killing five soldiers and wounding 12. Fierce clashes erupted between security forces and Isis militants following the attacks. Isis militants eventually seized the Malaab area after government forces withdrew. |
| A police officer, who was in Malaab and who spoke on condition of anonymity, said retreating forces left behind about 30 army vehicles and weapons, including artillery and assault rifles. He also said about two dozen police officers went missing during the fighting. | A police officer, who was in Malaab and who spoke on condition of anonymity, said retreating forces left behind about 30 army vehicles and weapons, including artillery and assault rifles. He also said about two dozen police officers went missing during the fighting. |
| Iraqi warplanes also launched air strikes on Isis positions inside Ramadi on Sunday, the Iraqi defence ministry said. | Iraqi warplanes also launched air strikes on Isis positions inside Ramadi on Sunday, the Iraqi defence ministry said. |
| Last week, the Islamic extremists swept through the city, seizing the main government headquarters and other key sites. It marked a major setback for the Iraqi government’s efforts to drive the militants out of areas they seized last year. | Last week, the Islamic extremists swept through the city, seizing the main government headquarters and other key sites. It marked a major setback for the Iraqi government’s efforts to drive the militants out of areas they seized last year. |
| About 24,000 people had been forced from their homes in three days of violence in the Ramadi area, said the International Organization for Migration. | About 24,000 people had been forced from their homes in three days of violence in the Ramadi area, said the International Organization for Migration. |