Reports ISIS Seizes Ramadi
Lesson Brief
BBC Arabic
On May 18, BBC Arabic discussed reports that ISIS has seized control of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's largest province, Anbar Province, after Iraqi government forces retreated. While the US is still calling the situation in Ramadi "fluid," Iraqi PM Haidar al-Abadi has reportedly called up Iraq's Popular Mobilization forces, a code name for Iran-backed Shiite militias, to take back the city, which lies in a Sunni majority area of the country. While some have called the development a major setback in the fight against ISIS, others have noted it does not affect the overall strategy against the terrorist organization.