ISIS fighters took over the Ramadi government headquarters on Friday and put up their black Islamic State flag before setting the compound on fire. The was part of a wide scale clash with the Iraqi security forces as the fighters attempt to take over what left of this key city in Iraq.
Islamic State militants have advanced to the ancient city of Palmyra, alarming the United Nations. The 2,000-year old city is one of the most famous UNESCO world heritage sites. The Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has already appealed to both sides of the conflicting, urging them against using Palmyra as a military target.
The city of Ramadi is in the middle of Iraq and is located about 70 miles to the west of Baghdad. ISIS has stated that it considers the Anbar province, which it has already mostly taken over, as the Islamic caliphate. The clashes between ISIS and the Iraqi forces have been back and forth, causing more than 100,000 civilians to leave the area to seek safer ground, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
ISIS Fighters Continue Efforts to Gain Ramadi
Throughout these clashes, the ISIS fighters have not given up their effort to take over Ramadi, even though the US has joined Iraq forces to fight them via US airstrikes that occurred in both Iraq and Syria. The ISIS, however, has recently made a plea for new recruits to their cause, according to sources in the area.
Officials state that if the city were to fall to ISIS, the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi would be strategically hit, as it has been a mere six weeks since the army regained the town of Tikrit from ISIS. The two forces have been fighting over Ramadi for more than a year, but this is the first time the ISIS fighters have gained control of the capital.
ISIS Still Controls Most of Anbar Province
The Iraqi forces liberated Tikrit, which is to the north of Baghdad, in April and then started concentrating on the fighting occurring in Anbar. Up to this point, however, they have not made a lot of progress against the ISIS fighters in that area.
Officials have reported that since 2044, the militant group already controls most of the Anbar Province, including the town of Fallujah. ISIS is also in control of Mosul, which is the second biggest city in Iraq. As fighting continues, the world holds its breath as ISIS fighters close in on another priceless world heritage site.
