Ramadi is about 110 kilometers west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. It’s the capital of Anbar Province, the country’s largest governorate, which borders Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It is also in Iraq’s Sunni heartland.
Retaking Ramadi was key for the Iraqi government which lost control of the city in May. Troops encircled city of Ramadi early this month. During their military offensive, Iraqi forces had to deal with booby traps set by Islamic State militants who had laid explosives in key positions across the city.That slowed the army’s advance.
Another big headache for the government forces has been ambush assaults by ISIL fighters. Iraq’s defense ministry says there were only 600 to a thousand jihadist fighters in Ramadi, including many snipers deployed across the city. The government has also accused ISIL of using civilians as human shields. Iraqi forces said civilians were also forced them to transport weaponry. Government forces say they slowed their advance to avoid civilian injuries and casualties
