Defense sec makes a surprise Iraq visit to assess Ramadi offensive plan
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made a surprise visit to Baghdad Thursday to review plans by Iraq's military to recapture the key Sunni city of Ramadi from the Islamic State group.
Carter, making his first trip to Iraq since taking office in February, said he aimed to form "my own on-the-ground assessment of the campaign" after speaking with U.S. commanders and Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Reuters reported.
Last week, the Iraqi government announced the start of its offensive to retake the majority-Sunni city after it fell to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, in May.
More than 3,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq to advise and train Iraqi forces.
The fear of causing numerous civilian casualties is pushing Iraqi forces to wage a slow offensive to retake Ramadi. To limit civilian deaths, the military says it aims to squeeze militants from the outskirts instead of launching a massive assault into the heart of the city, which had a population of 400,000 before many residents fled.
The U.S.-led coalition supporting the Iraqis with airstrikes estimates 250 to 300 militants remain holed up in Ramadi. They face 10,000 troops that include army and counterterrorism units, Shiite militias and national police. However, a small number of committed militants can wreak havoc on a much larger force using snipers, booby traps and roadside and car bombs.
Ramadi is the first major urban battle Iraq's forces have faced since ISIL seized portions of the country last year. Iraq's security forces took back the city of Tikrit in April, but it is much smaller than Ramadi and few civilians remained at the time.
U.S. advisers are deeply involved in planning the campaign and preparing Iraqi troops. Several hundred U.S. Marines and other coalition advisers were recently sent to Taqaddum, the Iraqi headquarters for the offensive. U.S. forces have trained 9,700 Iraqi troops, including some units deployed for the Ramadi campaign.