'Ramadi Is Liberated': Key Victory Over IS
The Iraq army claims to have captured the
key city of Ramadi, in a major victory against
Islamic State.
After encircling the city
for weeks, the Iraqi
military made a final push to seize the central
administration complex on Sunday.
Iraq's counter-terrorism forces raised the Iraqi
flag above the complex on Monday, according to
a military spokesman.
The final stronghold for IS in Iraq is Tikrit
"Yes, the city of Ramadi has been liberated,"
joint operations spokesman Brigadier General
Yahya Rasool said in a statement broadcast on
state television.
A US defence official said it was so far unable to
confirm the Iraqis' claims.
Video: Iraqi Army Take Ramadi From I.S.
The capture of Ramadi, capital of mainly Sunni-
Muslim Anbar province in the Euphrates River
valley west of the capital, would deprive IS
militants of their biggest prize of 2015.
The Iraqi army had already retaken the city of
Tikrit from the jihadists in the spring. The final
stronghold for IS in Iraq is Mosul in the north,
which the government is likely to target next.
State television broadcast footage of troops,
Humvee vehicles and tanks advancing through
Ramadi streets amid piles of rubble and
collapsed houses. Some districts appeared to
have been completely destroyed by the
advance.
Officials did not give any immediate figures for
the number of people killed in the battle. The
government says most civilians were able to
evacuate before it launched its assault.
Video: Iraqi Army Retakes Key City
Anbar provincial council member Falih al-Essawi
called on the government to restore services to
Ramadi quickly and start rebuilding the city to
allow the return of the displaced.
"It will not be easy to convince families to return
to a city that lacks basic human needs," he told
Reuters.
Islamic State, also known by the acronyms ISIS,
ISIL and Daesh, swept through a third of Iraq in
June 2014 and declared a "caliphate" to rule
over all Muslims from territory in both Iraq and
Syria, carrying out mass killings and imposing a
draconian form of Islam.
Its rise was aided by the swift collapse of the
Iraqi army, which abandoned city after city,
leaving fleets of armoured vehicles and other
American weapons in the fighters' hands.
key city of Ramadi, in a major victory against
Islamic State.
After encircling the city
for weeks, the Iraqi
military made a final push to seize the central
administration complex on Sunday.
Iraq's counter-terrorism forces raised the Iraqi
flag above the complex on Monday, according to
a military spokesman.
The final stronghold for IS in Iraq is Tikrit
"Yes, the city of Ramadi has been liberated,"
joint operations spokesman Brigadier General
Yahya Rasool said in a statement broadcast on
state television.
A US defence official said it was so far unable to
confirm the Iraqis' claims.
Video: Iraqi Army Take Ramadi From I.S.
The capture of Ramadi, capital of mainly Sunni-
Muslim Anbar province in the Euphrates River
valley west of the capital, would deprive IS
militants of their biggest prize of 2015.
The Iraqi army had already retaken the city of
Tikrit from the jihadists in the spring. The final
stronghold for IS in Iraq is Mosul in the north,
which the government is likely to target next.
State television broadcast footage of troops,
Humvee vehicles and tanks advancing through
Ramadi streets amid piles of rubble and
collapsed houses. Some districts appeared to
have been completely destroyed by the
advance.
Officials did not give any immediate figures for
the number of people killed in the battle. The
government says most civilians were able to
evacuate before it launched its assault.
Video: Iraqi Army Retakes Key City
Anbar provincial council member Falih al-Essawi
called on the government to restore services to
Ramadi quickly and start rebuilding the city to
allow the return of the displaced.
"It will not be easy to convince families to return
to a city that lacks basic human needs," he told
Reuters.
Islamic State, also known by the acronyms ISIS,
ISIL and Daesh, swept through a third of Iraq in
June 2014 and declared a "caliphate" to rule
over all Muslims from territory in both Iraq and
Syria, carrying out mass killings and imposing a
draconian form of Islam.
Its rise was aided by the swift collapse of the
Iraqi army, which abandoned city after city,
leaving fleets of armoured vehicles and other
American weapons in the fighters' hands.
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