Iraqi forces launch major operation in Ramadi

November 22, 2014 04:03 pm | Updated December 04, 2021 11:27 pm IST - BAGHDAD

Members of the Iraq Special Operations Forces conduct a patrol looking for militants of the Islamic State in a neighbourhood in Ramadi. File photo

Members of the Iraq Special Operations Forces conduct a patrol looking for militants of the Islamic State in a neighbourhood in Ramadi. File photo

Iraqi officials say the country’s military has launched a major operation to retake a section of the city of Ramadi after Islamic State group militants seized it.

An official with the Anbar provincial council says the Iraqi military, backed by local tribesmen, are pushing into the neighbourhood of Sijariya in eastern Ramadi after the militants said they captured it on Friday.

The official said there was intense fighting on Saturday with mortars being fired by both sides. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief journalists.

Eyewitnesses there, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, corroborated his account.

The Islamic State group has been attempting to seize Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, for months.

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