ramadi is located. that key city according to iraqi state television is the army. but also these unconventional iranian-backed shia paramilitary units, they re also trying to employ the sunni transcribes. now, there are multiple front lines. this is very much a patchwork battlefield. and we went to one of those area that is right by anbar. a key route for isis that it used to move its fighters and its weapons around the various territories that it controls. and we were with one of these iranian-backed shia units who were moving into this area that runs along a berm but also is a very critical from the north to the south of the country.
reporter: well it seems right now, they re really focused on trying to beef up their presence in a number of key locations around ramadi for example, state television saying that currently government troops backed by these iranian-backed shia paramilitary forces and the sunni tribes do have ramadi sur rund on all sides. but the battlefield is really a patchwork of very different chris crossing front lines. and they exist both in anbar and saleh hadiya. we were went to one of the two provinces. there we were there with paramilitary units. they were trying to cut off a key isil supply route for territories that it controlled. when this particular unit moved in yesterday morning, as this operation commenced, they did