The head of the Iran-backed militiias trying to wrest control of the Iraqi city of Ramadi from ISIS isn't impressed by the U.S.'s efforts to rout the Islamist extremist fighters, calling American airstrikes "not very effective" so far. "We expect more from the Americans," Hadi al-Ameri told NBC News. "There are no real airstrikes against ISIS headquarters." The Pentagon says there have been more than 50 strikes near Ramadi by U.S.-led forces in the last five weeks, after the city fell to Sunni militants in the middle of May when Iraqi army units retreated. Al-Ameri heads an umbrella group of Iran-backed, Shiite miliitias and has promised to retake Ramadi in weeks — but the U.S. notes that his group, unlike Washington, doesn't make efforts to spare civilian lives.
