An Iraqi government spokesman said Iraqi forces are making progress in the military operation to retake the western city of Ramadi from the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria.
Spokesman Sabah al-Numan said the troops, on Tuesday, crossed the Euphrates River to reach downtown Ramadi. The city has been under ISIS control since May when Iraqi forces withdrew under an ISIS onslaught.
Al-Numan said sporadic clashes are under way and that Iraqi forces are being forced to remove roadside bombs as they push forward.
He said no paramilitary forces were taking part in the operation. Al-Numan added that the Iraqi air force and the US-led international coalition were providing air support to troops on the ground and bombing ISIS targets.
Earlier this week, Iraqi military planes dropped leaflets on Ramadi, asking residents to leave within 72 hours and indicating safe routes for their exit.
Meanwhile, A top United Nations official said Geneva will host new diplomatic talks in January aimed to resolve the Syrian conflict.
The last two rounds of peace talks between the government and the regime representatives in Geneva last year ended in failure over President Bashar Assad’s fate. The conflict is now in its fifth year, with at least 250,000 people killed.
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