According to the media, the operation is being carried out without the Iraqi army’s involvement.
Islamic State took control of Ramadi, located some 70 miles west of Baghdad, on Sunday, following several days of heavy fighting. Hundreds of Iraqi servicemen were killed and more than 40,000 local residents fled the city.
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a press briefing that the central government of Iraq will plan the counter-assault on the city of Ramadi.
The Islamic State is a Sunni jihadist group that since 2014 has captured vast territories in Iraq and Syria, proclaiming a caliphate on the lands that have fallen under its control.
The militant group is notorious for numerous human rights atrocities including mass killings and beheadings of foreign hostages posted online and the destruction of cultural heritage sites.
On Wednesday, following a week of fighting, IS seized the city of Palmyra in central Syria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important cultural and archaeological sites in the Middle East.
