The ability of the ISF to recapture Ramadi with US-led Coalition air support is necessary for PM Haidar al-Abadi to demonstrate his independence from Iranian proxy militias who seek to undermine the sovereignty of the Iraqi state. The proxy militias have thus far had no role in the Ramadi operations since they refocused their efforts from Ramadi to Salah al-Din on May 26, 2015 as part of their independent "Labayk Ya Hussein" operation. The success of the ISF operation to recapture Anbar's provincial capital is also important for the U.S. to demonstrate why it is the essential partner to the Iraqi state. Russia is trying to usurp the US's role as the leading anti-ISIS partner in Iraq and elsewhere; Russia will share this status with Iran and curb PM Abadi's independence. A failure to secure Ramadi would undoubtedly increase the amount of pressure on PM Abadi to reduce his reliance on the U.S.-led Coalition in favor of Russia and Iran.