Anbar Police Chief Maj. Gen. Kadhim al-Fahdawi today confirmed another round of heavy fighting against ISIS in the provincial capital of Ramadi, reporting 30 police killed over the course of the past week. 100 were also wounded.
This is only a fraction of the overall death toll in the Ramadi fighting, and does not include either the Iraqi military or ISIS forces engaged in a pitched battle for the city of 500,000.
Though last week the Iraqi military appeared to be reversing the gains of ISIS in and around Ramadi, the latest indications are that the momentum has once again swung back in favor of the Islamists, who control most of the province.
Iraqi officials have claimed that retaking the whole Anbar Province is “next” on their agenda in the war against ISIS, though since ISIS has been holding territory in the province since January of 2014, this appears to be a very long-term mission.