ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Intense fighting continued in Iraq’s Anbar province on Friday, with ISIS in control of the heart of Ramadi and Iraqi forces reportedly on the verge of losing two other towns, sources told Rudaw. Residents were fleeing areas in and around the provincial capital Ramadi since early morning Friday, when intense fighting erupted between the jihadis and Iraqi army forces. Another source inside Ramadi said that at least 50 Iraqi army forces were killed in Friday’s battles, with numbers unconfirmed by Rudaw. Provincial officials warned that ISIS was pounding Iraqi forces east of Ramadi, and that the towns of Garma and Baghdadi were barely holding on against the barrage. “Garma and Baghdadi are in serious threat from Daesh gunmen,” warned Sabah Karhut, head of Anbar’s Provincial Council, referring to ISIS by its Arab acronym and calling for urgent help. “The towns could fall and Daesh could commit a mass killing against the residents of these two towns if the government doesn’t send enough troops,” he said. Ayid Amash, another member of the Provincial Council, called on Baghdad to urgently send help. Military sources said that ISIS was in control of Ramadi’s center, and that its fighters had Iraqi forces surrounded in several other parts. “Daesh gunmen in the center of Ramadi conducted several attacks against the security forces,” an Iraqi officer told Rudaw on condition of anonymity. “After hours of intense fighting the gunmen were able to control two areas, including the Jamiya region, which was previously in the hands of Iraqi forces,” he added. “The security forces are currently surrounded by Daesh gunmen in some areas inside the city,” he added. With ISIS in control of large parts of Ramadi, military sources said the Iraqi troops have some incredibly difficult urban fighting ahead of them. Iraqi forces had recently intensified attacks on ISIS in Anbar, after beating them out of the city of Tikrit. But the advance in Anbar has been slow, with intense house-to-house fighting and plenty of mines and booby traps hampering the push. Iraqi forces are on a westward push to retake Anbar, a sprawling Sunni-dominated desert province captured by ISIS in its offensive last year.
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