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| Iraqi troops enter centre of Ramadi in bid to eject Isis – spokesman | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Iraq’s armed forces have stormed the centre of Ramadi to try to dislodge Islamic State militants who have held the western city since May, a spokesman has said. | Iraq’s armed forces have stormed the centre of Ramadi to try to dislodge Islamic State militants who have held the western city since May, a spokesman has said. |
| The operation to recapture Ramadi, 60 miles west of Baghdad, began early last month after a months-long effort to cut off supply lines to the city, whose fall to Isis was a major defeat for Iraq’s weak central government. | The operation to recapture Ramadi, 60 miles west of Baghdad, began early last month after a months-long effort to cut off supply lines to the city, whose fall to Isis was a major defeat for Iraq’s weak central government. |
| “Our forces are advancing toward the government complex in the centre of Ramadi,” the spokesman, Sabah al-Numan, said. “The fighting is in the neighbourhoods around the complex, with support from the air force.“ | “Our forces are advancing toward the government complex in the centre of Ramadi,” the spokesman, Sabah al-Numan, said. “The fighting is in the neighbourhoods around the complex, with support from the air force.“ |
| Iraqi intelligence estimates the number of Isis fighters entrenched in the centre of Ramadi, capital of the western Anbar province, at between 250 and 300. | |
| Retaking the city would provide a major psychological boost to Iraqi security forces after Isis seized a third of Iraq last year. | Retaking the city would provide a major psychological boost to Iraqi security forces after Isis seized a third of Iraq last year. |