ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 150 Iraqi police are trapped in the center of Ramadi, Anbar province surrounded by ISIS jihadis who have taken control of a large part of the city, an Anbar sheikh warns. “Since Friday night, 150 police and officers from the Albu Alwan tribe have been surrounded by Daesh gunmen,” Sheikh Aref Alwani announced during a press conference Saturday. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for ISIS. Alwani called on Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for immediate help. “We need their urgent help to liberate them from Daesh militias… the central government is responsible for their safety,” Alwani said. Iraq’s Ministry of Defense released footage Friday of what it said shows airstrikes on ISIS targets in Anbar. ISIS took control of most of Ramadi Thursday night, including a security compound that houses the police headquarters and governor’s office. The gains marked a significant setback for the Iraqi government in its long fight to dislodge the militants, who hold about a third of the country. Anbar, Iraq’s largest province, is strategically located as it stretches from the Syrian border almost all the way to Baghdad.
