Islamic State militants have taken the capital of Iraq’s largest province, the city of Ramadi, as Iraqi elite special forces soldiers flee.
Iraqi special forces soldiers suffered heavy casualties and were routed after Islamic State militants breached the Iraqis’ last holdout in Ramadi.
The Islamic State posted a message online claiming they hold the whole city and have captured tanks and missile launchers. The message has not yet been verified, the BBC reports.
An Iraqi officer told McClatchy “Ramadi has fallen to Daash,” using the pejorative Arabic word for the Islamic State. “There were many suicide bombers and many soldiers and officers are dead.”
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At least 500 soldiers and police were seen fleeing the area. The main highway connecting the city with the capital of Baghdad, about 60 miles away, reportedly is also completely controlled by the Islamic State.
An army officer told the BBC that Iraqi troops had run out of ammunition in the massive onslaught of Islamic State troops and had retreated to a military base in Khalidiya, a city to the east of Ramadi.
Iraqi government officials have requested reinforcements from Shia factions in response to the Islamic State advance, a move likely to be opposed by Sunni tribal allies, Al Jazeera is reporting.
Sheikh Ali al-Hatim, a leading tribal figure, said that involvement of Shia militias will be considered an “Iranian occupation.”
“I want to reassure everybody that there are plenty of safeguards in this program.”
The loss of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, is a major blow to the Iraqi government as it is the first major city taken since a U.S.-led coalition began airstrikes against the Islamic State last year.
This story was first posted at 2:34 p.m. and has been updated.
