Iraq forces tighten noose around Ramadi

Iraqi forces closed in on Ramadi May 26 and launched an operation aimed at cutting off the jihadists in Anbar province before a major offensive to retake the city.

Ten days after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group's shock capture of the capital of Iraq's largest province, a spokesman said the latest operation was only a preparatory move before an assault on Ramadi.
 
The operation will see a mix of security forces and paramilitaries move south towards the city from Salaheddin province, said Hashed al-Shaabi spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi.
 
The Hashed al-Shaabi ("popular mobilisation" in Arabic) is an umbrella group for mostly Shiite militia and volunteers, which the government called in after the ISIL group captured Ramadi on May 17.
 
"The operation's goal is to liberate those regions between Salaheddin and Anbar and try to isolate the province of Anbar," Assadi told AFP.
 
He said it had been dubbed "Operation Labaik ya Hussein", which roughly translates as "We are at your service, Hussein" and refers to one of the most revered imams in Shiite Islam.
 
The Hashed said 4,000 men were heading to the northern edge of Ramadi.
 
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his US allies had been reluctant to deploy Iran-backed Shiite militia in Anbar, a predominantly Sunni province.
 
Anbar's provincial capital Ramadi had resisted ISIL assaults for more than a year but fell earlier this month after a massive jihadist offensive and a chaotic retreat by security forces.
 
The ISIL group controls most of Anbar, a huge province which borders territory also under its control in neighbouring Syria.
 
Pockets of government control include some eastern areas near the capital,...