WSJ: U.S. Ramps Up Airstrikes on Ramadi to Dislodge Dwindling ISIS Fighters
Iraqi army ground offensive stalls for second day as troops defuse militants’ booby traps
BAGHDAD—The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State on Thursday ramped up airstrikes against the group in Ramadi, while advancing Iraqi troops stalled just outside the city center for a second straight day.
Operation Inherent Resolve, the American anti-Islamic State command, said it carried out nine airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, on Thursday.
The strikes came a day after the U.S. dropped around 50 bombs in and around Ramadi in six missions, said Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the operation.
The U.S. airstrikes over the past two days have been among the most concentrated and aggressive since Iraqi forces began to encircle Ramadi late last month, he said.
More News On The Battle For The Iraqi City Of Ramadi
ISIS Claims Major Counterattacks as Iraqi Forces Lay Siege to Ramadi -- NYT
Iraq: Slow Progress in IS-Held Ramadi Due to Bombs, Snipers -- AP
Iraq: Slow Progress in ISIS-Held Ramadi Due to Bombs, Snipers -- NBC
Iraqi Forces Battle Last IS Fighters in Ramadi -- VOA
Battle For Ramadi: Iraqi Troops Close In On Final ISIS Fighters Left In City, But Face Stiff Resistance -- IBTimes
Iraqi Government Forces Advance on Daesh in Center of Ramadi City -- Sputnik
Iraqi Forces Closing in on ISIS in Ramadi, Military Official says -- FOX News/CNN
Ramadi finally looks within reach of Iraqi forces -- Gulf News
Coalition: Air Force B-1 bombers being used in Ramadi offensive -- The Hill
ISIS Supporters Panic Over Ramadi Loss -- Vocativ
Families escaping Ramadi seek shelter with army -- Rudaw
2 comments:
Something ain't right in Ramadi.
ISIS uses "belts" of IED's and VBIED's as minefields, then covers the area where they are deployed, with snipers and machine guns, deeply entrenched.
As a result, movement forward is cautious, when a defensive belt is encountered, the "over watch" has to be eliminated, then the engineers put forward to remove the IED's, and your own "over watch" has to be ready to deal with a counter attack lead by VBIED's.
Getting in to a place like Ramadi is a lot easier than clearing Ramadi, because all you need to do is use a TOS-1 or a MCLC to open a corridor through the "outer ring" and send armour through to the edge of the city.
If, on the other hand you don't care about "holding" a city like Ramadi, just "clearing" it, then you can use TOS-1's and MCLC's to just take out the IED belts and the over watch positions by flattening the whole block.
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