We're smack-dab in the middle of a new battle for Ramadi, the Iraqi city that Baghdad's government forces are trying to regain control of after a months-long siege by Daesh (ISIS) militants.
On Monday, members of the Iraqi army reportedly took down a black Daesh flag in the city center and replaced it with their own banner, as a good majority of the city is apparently in government hands.
Following that victory, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi traveled to the city for the first time since its takeover, promising more advancements elsewhere in Iraq by the end of 2016.
If you've followed the conflict in Iraq, you know this isn't the first time Ramadi has come into media play. The city has been the site of fierce government clashes with Daesh for months now—retaking it is an important milestone in Baghdad's fight to regain control of the country.
Here's a brief history of what's happened in the city, and what could come next.
1. Retaking the city is about more than strategic gain—it's symbolic. Some 60 miles from Baghdad, Ramadi is the capital of Iraq's Anbar province. In May of this year, the city fell easily to Daesh militants, who seized control without much of a struggle from the Iraqi army. The takeover sparked a huge debate about the Iraqi army's will and ability to fight against the group, and underscored organizational struggles faced by the newly forged government fighting force. Retaking control could signify improvements on that front.
2. Abadi wants to hail these gains as the first in a list of big victories, but retaking other cities may pose more difficulties. While symbolically and strategically important, Ramadi is only one of three major Iraqi cities under Daesh control—the country's second largest city, Mosul, and Fallujah are still firmly under the militants' control. Ramadi's mostly-Sunni residents fled long ago as it was being taken, so the Iraqi army arrived this month to a largely empty area. Fallujah and Mosul, on the other hand, are still heavily populated, NPR recently noted, meaning retaking them could pose more challenges.
3. The Iraqi military has declared the city 'liberated' from Daesh, but problems still remain. Upon Abadi's visit Tuesday, Iraqi media was aflutter with news of the city's liberation. But the Iraqi army says many of the city's buildings and streets are still rigged with booby-traps planted by Daesh. Meanwhile, fighters from the armed group still remain in pockets throughout the city—Abadi's helicopter was even shot at upon arrival, though the Daesh fighters who fired at it were too far away to do any damage, Al Jazeera reports. Other reports also suggest the group has sprung into 'revenge killings' in other areas under its control following the loss of Ramadi.
