Iraqi security forces have liberated on Saturday the center of al-Baghdadi district, located in the east of the city of Ramadi, the capital of the western al-Anbar Province from ISIL terrorists

Iraqi security forces have liberated on Saturday the center of al-Baghdadi district, located in the east of the city of Ramadi, the capital of the western al-Anbar Province from ISIL terrorists.

“The security forces have also killed dozens of ISIL militants in their operation to recapture al-Baghdadi district’s center,” Iraq's Alsumaria news agency reported, quoting Aziz Khalaf al-Tarmouz, the security deputy of Anbar governor.

“The army and police forces backed by anti-ISIL tribesmen launched a military operation Saturday morning to liberate the center of al-Baghdadi district”, Tarmouz added.

The strategic district is situated near the Iraqi air base of Ayn al-Asad, which reportedly houses more than 300 US marines.

The liberation came one day after the ISIL terrorists launched an attack on the air base.
 
The army has struggled to recapture even smaller towns that pose less of a challenge than Mosul — Iraq’s second-largest city, which is still full of civilians and heavily defended by the militants.

“Our assessment shows an offensive against Mosul is not imminent,” said Masrour Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Region Security Council. He said it would take more time to train security forces, and a greater effort by Iraq’s central government was needed to win the support of local residents and tribes around Mosul.