Daesh militants flee Ramadi government complex: Iraqi spokesman

Counter-terrorism forces backed by Iraqi and US-led coalition air strike reportedly outnumber the few ISIL fighters still holed up in Ramadi.

Military spokesman said: “By controlling the complex this means that we have defeated them in Ramadi”.

The city is the capital of mainly Sunni Muslim Anbar province.

The complex was “under complete control” and there was no sign of IS fighters, a spokesman said.

Unlike other military operations against “IS”, the Iraqi army instead of Iran-backed Shiite militia – such as Kataib Hezbollah (KH) and Asaib Ahl al-Haqq (AAH) – were involved in Ramadi in order to overcome distrust of Sunni residents.

Iraqi officials have made clear they very much want to declare Ramadi fully “liberated” by the end of the year, and to that end officials may be trying to move the goalpost in a bit, allowing them to claim a full victory without having fully expelled ISIS.

Iraqi troops in recent weeks have been working to recapture Ramadi since IS forces seized the city in May.

Ramadi is a provincial capital in the fertile Euphrates River valley, just two hours drive west of Baghdad.

One of them said he and his family were rescued after retreating IS fighters used them as human shields to leave the city. The Special Representative of U.S. President Barack Obama for the fight IS, Brett McGurk, tweeted: “our coalition is proud to support the courageous Iraqi troops, while they defeat the IS in Ramadi”.

Because of this, the Iraqi military and government did not immediately declare victory, though celebrations broke out on the streets of several cities. A final number on the death toll hasn’t been counted but most civilians were evacuated before the start of the combat.

BAGHDAD (AP) – Islamic State fighters are putting up a tough fight in the militant-held city of Ramadi, slowing down the advance of Iraqi forces, a senior Iraqi commander said Sunday.

After the win in Ramadi, forces will look at regaining control over the city of Mosul, which is the largest population centre controlled by IS forces in Iraq and Syria.

Mosul is by far the largest population center controlled by Islamic State militants.

The Islamic State or ISIS rose up as a dreaded terror group which declared its “caliphate” after capturing a major part of Iraq and Syria.