Iraqi security forces deployed tanks and artillery around the city of Ramadi on Tuesday to combat Islamic State fighters who were able to capture the city on Sunday.
The takeover earned the terrorist organization a major victory against the Baghdad government and its backers in the West, according to Reuters. Shi'ite rebels allied to the Iraqi army have since advanced to a base near the city in preperation for an effective counterattack.
Ramadi lies in the province of Anbar, which is 110 km. (70 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
A local government official released a statement urging residents in Ramadi to join the fight. Civilian volunteers will be fighting alongside the army and the police in what is now being termed as the impending "Battle of Anbar."
The White House has stated that a U.S.-led air campaign will be backing the multi-sectarian Iraqi forces in their attempt to regain Ramadi. The city's fall in the hands of the Islamic State militants has exposed the limits of U.S. air power in the fight against ISIS in both Syria and Iraq, Reuters reported.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement in Washington that the United States will be supporting the Iraqi forces in the impending battle.
"The United States will be very supportive of multi-sectarian efforts who are taking command-and-control orders from the Iraqi central government," he said.
The Pentagon said in a statement that the retreating Iraqi forces left behind a large amount of military supplies in the city, including about half a dozen tanks, around 100 wheeled vehicles and some artillery. It is now presumed that this military equipment has been taken by ISIS forces.
