Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.
The self-declared Islamic State is on the brink of losing control of
Ramadi, a city just 55 miles from Baghdad. Since May, Ramadi has been
the southern most town under ISIS control
[http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/18/world/middleeast/Where-ISIS-Gained-and-Lost-Territory-Islamic-State.html] in
Iraq. People there have suffered violence
[http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/12/world/middleeast/iraqi-campaign-to-retake-ramadi-from-isis-makes-gains.html?_r=0]
under ISIS, and winning back the city would be a victory.
But the situation is colored by many complexities, including concern
over who is taking the city back. If they gain control, some are
worried that Shiite militias affiliated with the Iraqi
government will punish Sunni civilians—a concern that is not
unfounded. A similar scenario played out in Tikirt, another Sunni
city.
In April, the Iraqi government approved an attack in Tikirt to wrest
control of the city from ISIS, and the soldiers on the ground were
Shiite. In the wake of the attack, they were accused of revenge
killings
[http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-tikrit-special-re-idUSKBN0MU1DP20150403]
and widespread looting.
The spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq promises
[http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/637800/department-of-defense-press-briefing-by-col-warren-via-teleconference-from-bagh]
no Shiite fighters are a part of the Ramadi operation. Instead, the
mission is being hailed
[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32181503] as an opportunity
for the Iraqi Security Forces and elite units to win an important
victory and boost their morale.
But MICHAEL PREGENT, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer in Iraq
and an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute, is skeptical of that
claim. And he is concerned that civilians will once again be swept up
in the violence.
What you'll learn from this segment: Whether ISIS will lose control of
Ramadi. How many civilians are trapped in the city. What the American
military leadership in Iraq will do.
