Iraqi Security Forces have made some progress in taking back Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar, from the Islamic State. The BBC reports that Iraqi forces have taken Tamim, a southwestern district across the Euphrates from the rest of the city. Sources tell the BBC that further progress may be difficult as the Islamic State appears to have mined the routes of approach with layers of improvised explosive devices. Pentagon officials have for months said that one of the biggest obstacles to retaking cities like Ramadi, Mosul, and Fallujah would be hacking through the defensive rings of buried bombs planned by ISIS fighters.
