Iraqi forces have confirmed that they have regained control of 60 percent of the Iraqi city of Ramadi late Tuesday, a city previously controlled by ISIS. It took the combined effort of the Iraqi army, counterterrorism unit and U.S.-led airstrikes attacking from three sides to be able to retake Ramadi, according to CNN. Early Wednesday morning, ISIS members hatched a counteroffensive, but coalition forces held them at bay to hold onto the city, according to the Iraqi generals.
"The center of Ramadi is under our control," said Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Iraqi army Joint Operations Command, before attributing the success of the operation to the numerous airstrikes against ISIS forces, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The operation was not decided from the beginning. Gen. Ismael Almahalawi, commander of operations for Anbar, the region where Ramadi is located, stated, "Daesh was winning."
"Give me seven minutes and you'll see aircraft over your head," his American liaison said, according to Almahalawi. Almahalawi continued, "And in seven minutes, they were there and that made the difference".
The city is significant, as Iraqi forces fled from Ramadi in May, giving ISIS control of the region. It was seen as a pivotal loss and brought into question the Iraqi army's willingness to fight against ISIS.
Iraqi forces had been planning the attack for over a month. In November, they dropped leaflets on the city reading: "To our people in the city of Ramadi, evacuate your families from the city immediately and go to the south through al Hameera area." Despite this, people could not flee, as ISIS placed checkpoints around the city to catch anyone trying to leave, according to CNN.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter stated in October that Ramadi is one of the three Rs representing a three-pronged attack against ISIS. The other two Rs are raids by special forces and Raqqa, an ISIS stronghold in Syria.
