Pentagon: Work in Ramadi ‘far from over’

The Pentagon on Monday said although there is “solid progress” in Ramadi, there is more work needed in order to clear the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from the city. 

“It’s certainly been a good news story so far, but the work is far from over,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters. 

{mosads}Security forces raised an Iraqi flag over a government building in the center of Ramadi last week and declared the provincial capital city reclaimed from ISIS. 

However, U.S. military officials said ISIS still remained in the eastern and northern outskirts of the city. 

“We continue to see solid progress. The trend lines are moving in the right direction,” Davis said.

“There will be both good days and bad days ahead in Ramadi as they continue to clear ISIL,” he said, using the administration’s preferred acronym for the terrorist group. “It’s dynamic, and it’ll continue to change.”

Meanwhile, ISIS fighters in Ramadi continued to launch a series of counterattacks against Iraqi forces in the western edges of the city, The Associated Press reported. 

Iraqi Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Belawi told the AP on Saturday that Iraqi forces suffered casualties after ISIS attacked with seven suicide car bombs outside Ramadi. 

He did not provide a number but said Iraqi forces repelled the attack. 

The U.S.-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes in Ramadi since the Iraqi military recaptured the city center last Monday.

On Sunday, the coalition conducted two airstrikes, one hitting an ISIS tactical unit and destroying five fighting positions and four buildings and another denying ISIS access to terrain. 

On Saturday, the coalition conducted seven strikes, hitting an ISIS tactical unit, destroying three tactical vehicles, two ISIS vehicles, an ISIS vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), three ISIS buildings, two ISIS heavy machine gun positions, an ISIS fighting position, an ISIS staging location, suppressing an ISIS VBIED, damaging an ISIS staging location and denying ISIS access to terrain.

On Friday, the coalition conducted five strikes, striking two ISIS tactical units, destroying seven ISIS fighting positions, six ISIS heavy machine gun positions, three ISIS buildings, an ISIS vehicle, cratering two ISIS-used roads and denying ISIS access to terrain.