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Iraqi Troops Advance in ISIS-Held Ramadi

Special forces reach city center.

The battle to retake Ramadi entered its second day as Iraqi special forces reached the city center while battling ISIS militants on Tuesday. Iraqi forces edged toward the government district in an effort to seize control of the Anbar provincial capital. In Baghdad, U.S. military spokesman in Col. Steve Warren said there are about 350 ISIS fighters left in Ramadi, along with tens of thousands of civilians. Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service spokesman Gen. Sabah al-Numani said officials believe the city would be “cleared in the coming 72 hours,” but Warren warned “it’s going to be a tough fight.” Iraqi troops, supported by soldiers, police, Sunni tribesmen, and U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, launched the assault on central Ramadi at dawn on Tuesday.