Fierce fighting rages in Iraq’s Anbar
The Iraqi army says it has held off a fierce assault by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on the city of Ramadi. The claim comes amid an announcement by the Iraqi government that it will triple its defence budget in an effort to defeat the group. Ramadi is one of the […]The Iraqi army says it has held off a fierce assault by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on the city of Ramadi. The claim comes amid an announcement by the Iraqi government that it will triple its defence budget in an effort to defeat the group. Ramadi is one of the last major urban areas in the crucial Anbar province under Baghdad's control. ISIL holds thousands of kilometres of territory across Iraq, posing a threat to Kirkuk, Diyala and Salahuddin besides Anbar. Iraqi security forces, backed by tribesmen, managed to defend a government complex in the city on Thursday, in the latest in a series of drives which have seen the return of some territory lost to ISIL, army officials said. "We were able to stop the militants from advancing in the government complex," army Colonel Haytham al-Daraji told AFP news agency.
