The Iraqi army retook the city from the self-described Islamic State in December following a six-month siege.
Stephen Kalin
RAMADI, Iraq, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Snipers from Iraq's elite counter-terrorism unit lie on their bellies on a rooftop in eastern Ramadi. They scan the palm groves 300 meters away for signs of movement but find none.
Moments earlier, a 2000-pound bomb dropped by a U.S.-led coalition plane hit a vehicle on the other side of the four-lane road forming the latest frontline in Iraq's battle against Islamic State.
Advertisement
This is the way much of the fighting is being conducted in the capital of western Anbar province, which the militants seized in May and the Iraqi military retook last month following a six-month siege.
Baghdad and Washington have touted Ramadi as the first major success for Iraq's U.S.-backed army since it collapsed in the face of Islamic State's lightning advance across the country's north and west in mid-2014.
But the scorched-earth battlefield tactics used by both sides mean the prize is a shattered ruin.
Iraqi officials and the coalition say hundreds of air strikes launched on the city since July played a decisive role in recapturing it. More than three weeks after the Iraqis declared victory in the biggest population center reclaimed from Islamic State, aerial bombardment can still be heard every few minutes.
Advertisement
After an initial thud, a dark column of smoke rising into the clear blue sky is the only sign of the bombing. A crackled voice over a commander's walkie-talkie reports: "eight terrorists killed."
They were preparing to launch a car bomb, or "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device," the Iraqi commander says in fluent English, using the U.S. military's acronym: "VBIED." There was a machine gun mounted on the bed of their pickup truck, another officer offers later.
Before Islamic State took over, these farmlands were a stronghold of its predecessor al Qaeda, which U.S. forces - and later Iraqis - fought for years to recapture.
The area "by nature of its geography offers the terrorists fertile environment for using car bombs and avoiding air strikes," the commander says.
Advertisement
Occasional gunshots ring out. They belong to other snipers from the army and counter-terrorism forces positioned closer to the strike location.
Direct combat in Ramadi has been the near exclusive domain of a few hundred counter-terrorism forces, an elite unit established by the United States after the 2003 invasion, which reports directly to the prime minister.
A few army divisions, a handful of police units and some irregular fighters support the campaign and help hold land.
Evidence of this strategy is everywhere in Ramadi.
Scores of buildings have been flattened by air strikes, the space between each floor condensed into single layers of dust. Hundreds of other structures bear the marks of smaller, though still destructive, weaponry: mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns.
Advertisement
The burnt out carcasses of large vehicles litter the roadside. An earth mover, a Humvee, a tank, an armored personnel carrier. Some of them have been flipped onto their sides or roofs. They were torn apart by air strikes or packed with explosives and blown up by Islamic State, soldiers say.
Streets, shops and homes across the city center are abandoned. Movement, when there is any, belongs to the security forces.
Residents, once numbering nearly half a million, have mostly fled and now sit in refugee camps. Their homes are laced with bombs set by Islamic State, which Iraqi commanders say aimed to delay their forces' advances and generate maximum destruction.
(Reporting By Stephen Kalin; Editing by Peter Graff)
Related on HuffPost:
The Battle For Ramadi
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.