Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has agreed to a deployment of 200 American ground troops to help with operations against the Islamic State militants.
Security forces have entered central Ramadi, from several directions, and met little resistance. They have also met few civilians. So far, the districts of al-Bakr, Aramel, and Dhubba were retaken. Gen. Sabah al-Numani believes that the entire city will be cleared of militants in just days.
At least 159 were killed and 43 were wounded:
In the Ramadi region:
In the Adnaniya district, fighting left five security members dead and nine wounded.
A suicide car bomber killed 14 security personnel and wounded 17 more in Albu Diab, where fierce fighting has taken place for some time now.
Airstrikes north of Ramadi killed eight civilians, including children.
In central Ramadi, at least 35 militants were killed early in the battle.
In Jeraishi, 13 militants were killed and eight were wounded. The town was declared liberated.
Fourteen militants were killed in Husayba al-Sharqiya.
In Hasiba, security forces killed 17 militants.
Elsewhere:
A bomb in Baghdad killed one person and wounded nine others.
Airstrikes in the Makhoul Mountains left 19 militants dead, including their commander.
Twelve militants were killed when Peshmerga forces arrived at an asphalt plant in Ba’Shiqah.
In Baaj, militants beheaded four of their own for abandoning their posts. This group may have been beheaded at the same time as six others who were executed yesterday.
The body of a son of a militant leader was received at the morgue in Mosul, after he was killed fighting Peshmerga. Ten militants were killed when jets bombed their weapon storage facility.
At least five militants were killed in airstrikes near Kirkuk.
