White House vows to help Iraq reclaim Ramadi from ISIS
The Obama administration on Monday acknowledged ISIS had taken over the Iraqi city of Ramadi, but insisted the occupation would be short-lived.
"There's no denying that this is indeed a setback," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said, "but there's also no denying that we will help the Iraqis take back Ramadi."
Though frequent U.S. airstrikes in support of Iraqi troops failed to prevent ISIS from seizing the city, administration officials said they were confident the same strategy would gradually repel militant fighters. The capture of Ramadi — a key city 80 miles from Baghdad — is the Islamic State's most significant gain in Iraq since it overran vast swaths of the country last year.
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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.