Officials said last week that ISIS fighters launched more than 30 car bombs inside Ramadi in an effort to take over the city where fighting has been raging for more than a year and a half.

The attacks came at the same time as a sandstorm that affected ground operations. The storm also led the Iraqi commander on the ground to mistakenly believe that the sandstorm would prevent coalition airstrikes from supporting his troops, according to U.S. officials. American officials have said that the deteriorating weather conditions would not have affected the ability to conduct airstrikes.

“The Iraqi security forces did not feel that they were supported as they could have been. They did not feel they had the resources, they did not feel they were in a position to win,” said Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, speaking broadly about the Iraqi troop pullout from Ramadi.