Ramadi Fully Liberated, Iraq Flag Raised above Government Complex
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iraq's counter terrorism forces raised the Iraqi flag above the central government complex in city of Ramadi after the city was "fully liberated" from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Iraqi military spokesman said Monday.
"Yes, the city of Ramadi has been liberated. The Iraqi counter terrorism forces have raised the Iraqi flag over the government complex in Anbar", joint operations spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said in a statement broadcast on state television.
Victory in Ramadi, which was seized by ISIL in May, is the first major triumph for Iraq's army since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the hardline militants 18 months ago.
Ramadi, capital of Anbar province in the Euphrates River valley west of Baghdad, had been ISIL's biggest prize of 2015, seized in May.
Iraqi forces launched an assault on the city last week and made a final push to seize the central administration complex on Sunday. Their progress had been slowed by explosives planted in streets and booby-trapped buildings.
Security officials have said the forces still need to clear some pockets of insurgents in the city and its outskirts.
If the recapture of Ramadi is confirmed, it will be the first major city seized from ISIL by Iraq's military, which in past battles against the militants had operated mainly in a supporting role alongside popular forces.
The government has said the next target after Ramadi will be the northern city of Mosul, by far the largest population center controlled by ISIL in either Iraq or Syria.
