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News ID: 21038
Publish Date : 25 November 2015 - 21:09

Iraq Forces Gain More Grounds Against ISIL in Ramadi

BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – Iraqi military forces and volunteer fighters have retaken more than half of the areas controlled by the Takfiri ISIL terrorists in the city of Ramadi, west of the country.
A spokesman for Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Force said on Tuesday that the allied forces have managed to liberate 22 neighborhoods from a total of 39 in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province.
Samir al-Shovaili said the pro-government forces have inched closer on ISIL terrorists inside Ramadi, forcing them to hide out in the central parts of the city. He said between 50 and 100 ISIL terrorists were killed in a fresh operation in the city earlier in the day while huge losses were inflicted on their vehicles and ammunition depots.
Other officials said the Iraqi forces have completely purged the terrorists from a key district in Ramadi: the 5 Kilometer area. Reports also said 22 civilians who were used by ISIL as human shields have been freed by Iraqi forces.
Ramadi has been one of the two major bastions of ISIL in Iraq, along Mosul, the capital of the northern province of Nineveh. The terrorist group launched its offensive in Iraq in July 2014 carrying out mass executions and killings inside the towns and villages.
Pro-government forces have managed to push back the terrorists from some of their major strongholds, including the cities of Tikrit and Baiji in Salahuddin Province, while the operation continues to liberate Ramadi and Mosul.
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq says a total of 714 Iraqis were killed and 1,269 wounded in acts of terror, violence and armed conflict in October alone. A great portion of the fatalities was recorded in the capital, Baghdad, where 298 civilians were killed.

Iraqi volunteer fighters fighting alongside the government forces fire a rocket during a military operation against ISIL as they advance towards the center of Baiji, north of Baghdad.