On Sunday morning, ISIS mobilized a considerable fighting force on the outskirts of Ar-Rutbah, in Anbar province, and began attacking the city. By noon, jihadist fighters stormed and seized several Iraqi checkpoints, advancing inside the city itself.
With over 30,000 Iraqi Army soldiers tied up for the ongoing Mosul campaign, Ar-Rutbah was left manned by only a few hundred border guards and pro-government Sunni tribal fighters, leaving it an easy target for the Islamic State to overrun. – READ MORE
