ISIS Administrative Center in Ramadi Under Complete Siege

The spokesperson for the Joint Operations Command for the recapture of Ramadi, Iraq, stated on Sunday, December 27, that Iraqi forces have completely surrounded the complex of government buildings in the center of Ramadi and are on the verge of entering these buildings. Yahya Rasool told Reuters, "We are clearing the buildings and surrounding streets of bombs and preparing to enter the buildings." Meanwhile, Sabah al-Nu'mani, spokesperson for Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Organization, told Reuters that "it seems that the ISIS fighters have fled the complex as no resistance is being observed." He added, "Many bodies of ISIS fighters can be seen in the buildings of this complex, killed as a result of airstrikes." Iraqi forces are receiving air support from the international coalition led by the United States in the Ramadi operation. Recent reports indicate that about 300 to 400 ISIS fighters remain in the center of Ramadi. Ramadi is the capital of the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, which extends from the outskirts of Baghdad to the borders of Syria and Jordan. The city was captured by the Islamic State (ISIS) group in May of this year, and its recapture is considered a significant success in the battle against ISIS. According to Reuters, Iranian-backed Shiite militias, which have played a prominent role in other operations against ISIS, are participating minimally in the Ramadi recapture operation at the request of the Iraqi army to prevent sectarian tensions in the region. Iraqi officials say that if Ramadi is fully recaptured, control of the city will be handed over to local police and local Sunni tribes. The Iraqi army plans to move on to recapture the city of Mosul after Ramadi; Mosul, which had a population of about two million before the onset of battles with ISIS, is the largest city under the control of the Islamic State. Driving ISIS out of Mosul would effectively deal a significant blow to the administrative structure of this group in Iraq and deprive ISIS of a large portion of the oil and tax revenue it collects from the residents of Mosul. In this context, the operation to recapture the city of Ramadi is progressing slowly. The Prime Minister of Iraq stated: "After Ramadi, it will be Mosul's turn to be liberated."