MOSCOW(Sputnik) — Iraqi forces will recapture the city of Ramadi, seized earlier by the Islamic State (ISIL) militant group, within days, Iraq's Prime Minister Haider Abadi said.
On May 17, ISIL militants took control of Ramadi, located some 80 miles west of Baghdad after several days of intense fighting.
"It makes my heart bleed because we lost Ramadi, but I can assure you we can bring it back soon," Abadi told the BBC on Sunday, adding that it was a matter of not months, but days.
On May 24, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter blamed the lack of Iraqi forces' will to fight against the insurgents for Ramadi's capture, though the Iraqi army vastly outnumbers the ISIL.
Iraq is one of the primary locations of Islamic State operations, alongside Syria. The violent radical group currently controls large areas in both countries, and continues its attempts to further advance and expand into other states, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The advance of the IS in Iraq is countered by the Iraqi forces and Kurdish militias on the ground and airstrikes by a US-led international coalition.
