Will U.S. Forces Assist Iraq In Retaking The City Of Ramadi from ISIS Militants?

Marina Koren, The Atlantic: Will the U.S. Join the Fight Against ISIS in Ramadi?

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday the administration is prepared to send advisers and helicopters to aid Iraqi forces—if Iraq wants them.

A day ago, U.S.-backed Iraqi forces seized one of the Islamic State’s operations centers on the outskirts of Ramadi, the Iraqi city that has been under the group’s control since spring.

The recapture was a significant achievement in the battle to wrest neighborhoods in and around Ramadi from the Islamic State’s grasp. But it took “a frustratingly long time” to get to this point, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday.

Carter said that though there has been some success in the attempt to retake Ramadi in recent months, “there is still tough fighting ahead.” And, he said, the Pentagon is prepared to deploy advisers and attack helicopters—if the prime minister of Iraq wants them—to the region to “finish the job.”

WNU Editor: I am sure that the Iraqi forces want to do this liberation by themselves ... but they lack air-power, and air-power has proven to be very effective in the past in routing ISIS forces entrenched in urban centers.

More News On Reports That the U.S. Is Willing To Assist Iraqi Forces In Retaking The City Of Ramadi

Carter: The US is ready to do more to help retake Ramadi -- AP
US Willing to Provide Apache Helicopters and Advisers to Help Retake Ramadi, Ash Carter Says -- ABC News
US Ready To Do More To Help Retake Ramadi -- USA Today
U.S. may deploy military advisors and attack helicopters to help retake Ramadi -- L.A. Times
Carter: US ready to do more to help retake Ramadi -- Stars and Stripes
U.S. ‘ready to deploy’ to retake Ramadi from ISIS -- AFP