Daesh attacks Abadi’s convoy in Ramadi

The convoy of Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi came under rocket fire in Ramadi shortly after he arrived to salute Iraqi forces for the city’s recapture, Kurdish Rudwa news agency reported.

The agency reported an unnamed army official as saying that Daesh militants fired rockets at Abadi’s convoy while he was talking to a group of soldiers on the city’s al-Qasim bridge.

Security sources told Reuters that three mortar rounds landed around 500 meters from Abadi’s position, pointing out that although the Iraqi prime minister was not in danger, he was forced to leave the area.

Abadi travelled in a convoy of Humvees and met soldiers at the main government complex captured by counter-terrorism forces on Monday, where he planted the Iraqi flag, Reuters said.

Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the US-led campaign against Daesh, said the Iraqi forces retook only one third of the Ramadi area and the militant group continues to be dangerous.

The Associated Press quoted Major General Saeed Mahlawi, the commander of Anbar Operations, as saying that 500 tribal fighters arrived north of Ramadi to participate in the fight to retake Ramadi island.

Read: Iraqi Defence Minister says 80% of Ramadi destroyed

Spokesman for the Iraqi counter- terrorism forces Sabah Nomani denied in a call with Al-Jazeera that Daesh have full control over any of the city’s neighbourhoods, but explained that the group continues to control some zones in nearly 90 percent of the city.

Nomani explained that the Iraqi forces control of the government complex gave them a morale boost to continue fighting.