Islamic State seizes Ramadi in 'crushing setback' for opposition
Militants use armoured bulldozers and multiple suicide bombers to force Iraqi forces out of city

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Islamic State has seized control of Ramadi, a major Iraqi city, in a "crushing setback" to the countries trying to stem the extremist group's expansion in the region.
The capture of the city, the capital of Iraq's largest province Al Anbar, was described by the Wall Street Journal as Islamic State's "biggest military victory this year".
According to Iraqi officials, government security forces and tribal fighters retreated after militants burst into the city in armoured bulldozers and detonated a series of suicide bomb explosions.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Local officials estimated that more than 500 people had died in the last two days of fighting, including civilians and police who had run out of ammunition. A further 8,000 people were said to have been displaced over the same period.
Retired Lt Col Anthony Shaffer, a senior fellow at the London Centre for Policy Research, said the US-trained Iraqi military units were "basically laying down their guns and running".
However, Muhannad Haimour, the Anbar governor's spokesman, pointed out that it was "very difficult to stop a bulldozer that's been armoured, driven by a suicide bomber, with tons of explosives". He told CNN that it was "not a conventional war by any stretch of the imagination".
Much of Anbar province has been held by Islamic State (IS) for more than 18 months, with the fall of Ramadi marking a "crushing setback" for the extremist group's opponents, said the Wall Street Journal.
Last night Iraqi and US officials said the fight for Ramadi was far from over. Iraq's Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, is preparing to send reinforcements, including Iran-backed Shi'ite militias, into the Sunni heartland – a controversial move in a country where sectarian tensions remain high.
Speaking in South Korea, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was confident that the loss can be reversed in the coming days.
The advance in Ramadi, just 70 miles west of Baghdad, came a day after a US special operations team killed IS's finance leader in Syria.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Russian pilot 'tried to shoot down RAF plane'
Speed Read 'Ambiguous' communications triggered the potentially deadly incident in 2022, defence sources say
By Julia O'Driscoll Published
-
Inside the luxury bulletproof train taking Kim Jong Un to Russia
The Explainer The North Korean leader has continued the tradition of train travel established by his father
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
The deadly attacks on Syrian truffle hunters
feature Islamic State suspected of targeting Syrians risking their lives to secure much-needed income
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why do Russians support the Ukraine war?
Today's Big Question A year on from Putin’s invasion, support for the conflict appears to remain high domestically
By The Week Staff Published
-
One year on: how has the world changed since Russia’s invasion?
Today's Big Question After a year of war, Ukraine remains ‘unbowed and unconquered’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine’s children abducted and ‘re-educated’ by Russia
feature Russian camps ‘brainwash’ thousands of Ukrainian children
By The Week Staff Published
-
Timeline of the Ukraine war
feature Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022
By Amrita Gill Last updated
-
Is China going to send weapons to help Russia in Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Fears grow in Washington that Beijing may be about to increase its support for Putin
By The Week Staff Published