AP, Baghdad, 23 July 2015
For the first time, Iraqi troops trained by the U.S.-led coalition have been added to the assault force Iraq is using to retake the city of Ramadi, a U.S. military official said Thursday.
The news that about 3,000 U.S.-trained Iraqi army soldiers were added to the fight in recent days was disclosed to Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who spent the day getting updates and meeting with U.S. and Iraqi officials and commanders in Baghdad. It was Carter’s first visit to Iraq since he took office in February.

The actual assault on the city has not yet begun, but a Pentagon spokesman, Army Col. Steve Warren, said it could start within several weeks.

President Barack Obama has opted not to commit U.S. ground combat forces to Iraq, saying the only lasting solution is for Iraq to fight for itself.
Warren said the Pentagon chief was told that two Iraqi army brigades totaling about 3,000 soldiers joined the Ramadi counteroffensive within the last three to five days.
He said that one of those newly trained units advanced about 4 miles toward Ramadi within the last 24 hours.
Warren also said that U.S. officials received Iraqi battlefield reports that say Iraqi forces have advanced to or near Anbar University in Ramadi. But he said the U.S. has no independent confirmation of that.
Warren said that in addition to the 3,000 newly trained Iraqi soldiers now operating in the Ramadi area, about 500 Sunni Arab tribal fighters have also recently joined the advancing force.
The Iraqi government intends to exclude all Shiite militias from the Ramadi operation — even those said to be under control of the Iraqi government, a key move toward getting the troops to work together effectively.