The Iraqi government unveiled on Tuesday a military operation aimed at driving ISIS extremists out of the Anbar province in western Iraq.
The operation, to be carried out by the Iraqi military along with help from the Shiite and Sunni paramilitary groups, was announced almost two weeks after the fall of Anbar's key capital city of Ramadi.
At the time, the White House called ISIS's victory in Ramadi -- seen by both sides as a key strategic point for its size and proximity to the capital, Baghdad --, a "setback."
On Tuesday, however, those involved in the operation to retake Anbar province were optimistic.
Shiite leader and member of Iraq's parliament Ahmed al-Assadi, told the Associated Press the battle "will not last for a long time" and that Iraqi forces have Ramadi surrounded from three sides.
Following the fall of Ramadi on May 15, U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter sparked controversy by saying Iraqi forces, though superior in numbers, "showed no will to fight."
Those remarks irked Iraqi Prime Minister Saad al-Hadithi, who claimed Carter was "likely given the incorrect information."
This time, however, with the help of Sunni and Shiite militias, officials both in Washington and Baghdad are expecting a different outcome.
But activists and rights groups say the participation of Shiite and Sunni militias is not necessarily a good thing, as both groups have been accused of human rights atrocities in a number of cities across Iraq.
In a phone conversation with Iraq's prime minister earlier this month, U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden said Washington would provide additional military weaponry and supplies to Iraqi forces struggling to contain the ISIS offensive.
The U.S. airforce has also carried out dozens of airstrikes in the area over the last few weeks.