Situation in Iraq's Ramadi 'fluid,' too early to say if Islamic State in control: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Sunday it was monitoring reports of continued fighting in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi and that the situation remained "fluid and contested," despite an assertion by Islamic State militants that they had seized full control there. "It is too early to make definitive statements about the situation on the ground there at this time," said Defense Department spokeswoman Maureen Schumann when asked if the United States had confirmed Islamic State's statement that Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, had completely fallen. She said the United States was "continuing to monitor reports of tough fighting in Ramadi and the situation remains fluid and contested." The routing of Iraqi forces in Ramadi, where security sources said they lost a key military base on Sunday, would mark the biggest defeat for Baghdad since last summer. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Peter Cooney)