Iraqi army sees redemption as it closes in on Ramadi
No Shiite militia member is involved in the operation to liberate town from Daesh grip
In a small army camp on the northern edge of Ramadi, a group of Iraqi soldiers eavesdropped on a Daesh leader as he attempted to rally his men.
“Right now, we are suffering, but it is a test from God,” the militant’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie, with an Egyptian accent. “Stay on this road. This is the road of honour and dignity.”
Intercepted Daesh communications have become increasingly desperate in recent weeks, soldiers say, as the Iraqi army has gained momentum in the fight for this city west of Baghdad. Buoyed by advances over the past week, Iraqi commanders say they expect to regain all of Ramadi by the end of the year.
For Iraq’s armed forces, and the Americans who are training and backing them, this is a particularly important fight. Here, the country’s Shiite militias are not taking part, and that gives the regular Iraqi military a chance to repair its image. The fall of Ramadi seven months ago struck a blow to the already tattered reputation of the security forces, and it highlighted flaws in the US approach to supporting them.
“This had to be a battle using purely the Iraqi military, in order to return the prestige of the Iraqi army,” said Maj. Gen. Esmail Al Mahlawi, head of Anbar Operations Command, as he watched US-led coalition air strikes send thick, grey clouds into the air above the city. “The army in the past has been an army of defeats, but now we will be the army of liberation.”
On Tuesday, Al Mahlawi’s soldiers retook control of the Anbar Operations Command compound, in northern Ramadi.
Air strikes played a large part in the advance here, soldiers said, raising questions over the army’s capabilities to push farther, particularly in areas with a high concentration of civilians, where air support is more complicated.
“Eighty per cent of the battle finished from the air,” Asri said. “We received only a little resistance. The air strikes had the major role.”
But from the southwest of the city, Iraqi special forces, known as the Golden Division, have seen more close combat, seizing control of the sprawling Tamim neighbourhood last week.
“Estimates on just how many civilians remain in the city also vary widely.
Al Mahlawi says about 150 families are still inside. Other Iraqi security officials put that number much higher — at about 10,000 people.
Iraqi planes have dropped leaflets urging families to leave the city, but many cannot. After a leaflet drop last week, one family on Ramadi’s Street 20 raised a white flag outside their home. But all were executed by Daesh militants soon after as an example to others, Al Asadi said — men, women and children were killed. Security forces are in regular phone contact with some of the families left inside, he said. “Whoever tries to escape, they execute them,” he said. “What’s delaying us is the civilians.”