article_snippet.sent: (CNN)ISIS fighters seized several districts in the Iraqi city of Ramadi in an hours-long assault Friday that included suicide and car bombs, an Iraqi provincial official said.
article_snippet.sent: The northern Ramadi districts of Albu Faraj, Albu Essa and Albu Risha were in the hands of ISIS by the time the day was done.
article_snippet.sent: Located about 70 miles (110 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Ramadi has seen intense and persistent fighting for months.
article_snippet.sent: ISIS took over parts of the Iraqi city of Ramadi in the first half of 2014, and it's been part of a tug of war ever since.
article_snippet.sent: Iraqi and allied forces have made inroads in recent weeks, beating back the group that calls itself the Islamic State, which took over vast swaths of Iraq and neighboring Syria last year.
article_snippet.sent: Still, ISIS remains a formidable force and, as the Ramadi assault shows, one that's still capable and willing to go on offense to take territory.
article_snippet.sent: Calling for "patience," an administration official said that winning Mosul is a complex endeavor.
article_snippet.sent: The same could be said for the entire effort to defeat ISIS.
highlights_snippet.sent: Iraqi and allied forces have had recent success, but ISIS remains powerful .