国际英语新闻:US Supports Offensive to Retake Anbar

Warren cited a host of problems that preceded the Iraqi pullout from Ramadi. "Their morale had slipped, their leadership was not up to par. They believed that they were not receiving the support that they thought they needed," he said.

Officials attribute Ramadi’s fall to at least two other factors: a breakdown in communication among the Iraqis concerning airstrike capabilities, plus massive bombings by the Islamic State that took out entire city blocks.

The Pentagon assured VOA that it is working with the Iraqi government to improve command-and-control communications. It also said it would provide about anti-tank rockets to Iraq "within the next week."

Warren said it was reasonable to start the Anbar offensive even before delivery of the anti-armor weapons, also called AT-4s. “Every day the enemy has in Ramadi is another day for the enemy to harden and to develop [its] defenses," he explained.

The Pentagon spokesman also said U.S. forces have trained 7,000 Iraqis to help with anti-Islamic State offensives across Iraq. But he warned these forces are not going to immediately turn the tide. The fight to push the militants out of Iraq is expected to take years.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told the BBC that Ramadi would be retaken in days, and that he had confidence in the ability of Iraqi forces.

Sectarian and political divisions, however, have posed ongoing problems.

According to Iraqi reports, some of the Shi'ite militias involved in the fighting have chosen a sectarian name for their Anbar campaign: "Labaik Ya Hussein,'' Arabic for “I am here for you, Hussein.” It refers to a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed in a seventh-century battle and today remains one of the most revered figures of Shi'ite Islam.

Warren criticized the name choice. "I think it’s unhelpful," he said.