Iraqi Forces Retake Ramadi From Islamic State

“Ramadi has been liberated and the armed forces of the counter-terrorism service have raised the Iraqi flag above the government complex”, Brig Gen Yahya Rasool announced on state television.

Islamic State, also called ISIL or ISIS, seized Ramadi, a provincial capital west of Baghdad, in May, and its apparent recapture was a major milestone for the Iraqi army, which crumbled when Islamic State fighters charged into Iraq in June 2014.

Soldiers were shown on state television publicly slaughtering a sheep in an act of celebration. Pockets of militants may remain but the army said it no longer faced any resistance and that its main task was to defuse the countless bombs and traps IS left behind.

Concerns have been expressed that the Shiite militia units that supported the government offensive may mistreat the mainly Sunni civilians living in liberated Anbar cities.

A U.S.-led coalition is waging an air campaign against Islamic State, but rebuilding the Iraqi army to the point that it could recapture and hold territory has been one of the biggest challenges. But their progress was slowed by snipers, booby traps and the militants’ destruction of bridges leading into the city center.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi delivered a speech in which he hailed the advance, saying it had killed “hundreds” of militants and “fulfilled the promise to defeat Daesh in Ramadi”, referring to the IS group by its Arabic acronym. IS fighters have retreated from about 70 percent of city, but still control the rest; government forces still don’t fully control numerous districts from which the IS fighters have retreated.

Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the head of the U.S. Central Command, congratulated Iraqi forces on the “important operational achievement”. He said 2016 would be “the year of the final victory and the end of the existence of Daesh on Iraqi territory”.

The IS group still controls much of northern and western Iraq, as well as vast swaths of neighboring Syria.

“The United States military stands ready to support our Iraqi partners and the rest of the global coalition as we build on today’s progress and continue to strike ISIL on multiple fronts until we achieve their inevitable defeat”.

The retaking of Ramadi is seen as a major win for the Iraqi government, which has been fighting the IS insurgents that have taken over large swathes of the country, as well as parts of Syria.