the shia militias are nowhere. that's important, because it is a fundamental shift to allow the sunnis to feel okay, we are back in the game. how do you see it, lieutenant colonel? >> that's exactly right. it is important that the sunnis are seen as involved in this. this is very reminiscent of the anbar awakening in 2007. now, you see the sunnis joining with the iraqi forces. this is critical. this will spell a really good omen for the future. once they take ramadi, they have to hold ramadi. you have to have the sunnis to do that. the shia can't do this. you are seeing a dress rehearsal for what's going to happen in mosul. >> a very interesting thing, also. there are a lot of citizens that are in ramadi. those citizens are being used by isis as fodder. that's one of the reasons that, i guess, the troops have been sort of slow to move.