Iraqi Forces Retake Ramadi, Pledge to Retake Mosul Next

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi planted the national flag in Ramadi on Tuesday, marking the army's victory (NYT) in the city over militants of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, and pledged to retake Mosul in northern Iraq. Al-Abadi's visit comes a day after government forces retook most of the city (BBC), clinching a major victory and leading the Iraqi premier to pledge to rid the country of the Islamic State by the end of 2016. Al-Abadi called on Kurdish fighters to help Iraq's armed forces retake Mosul (Reuters), which the militant group seized in 2014. U.S. officials expressed confidence that Iraqi forces would hold Ramadi and said the military campaign should move quickly to not lose momentum against the Islamic State.