Islamic State ‘slow Iraqi troops’ advance on Ramadi’

Iraqi forces have liberated the city of Ramadi and today (Dec 28) raised the national flag above the flashpoint government complex, a spokesman for the Joint Operations Command said.

Jihadist fighters abandoned their last stronghold in Ramadi on Sunday, bringing Iraqi federal forces within sight of their biggest victory since last year’s massive offensive by the Islamic State group.

The military said earlier that troops had retaken a former government compound in the strategic city. “By controlling the complex this means that we have defeated them in Ramadi”, said Sabah al-Numani, a spokesman for government forces. The city, and others in Anbar province, was the scene of fierce battles between US military troops and the Islamic State group’s predecessor, al-Qaeda in Iraq, during the years following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Engineering teams were still working to clear explosive devices in the area, but the complex was entirely under the control of Iraqi forces, military commanders said.

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

Ibrahim said that although there may be pockets of resistance, most Islamic State fighters fled or were killed due to the ongoing airstrikes and ground combat, BBC News reports.

Estimates at the beginning of the operation were that no more than 400 ISIS fighters remained hunkered down in central Ramadi and dozens have since been killed.

The recapturing of Ramadi was seen as a victory by many in the US-led coalition against ISIS and in Iraq. If the Iraqi army can complete it’s task of taking Ramadi, a blow will be struck against Islamic State in Iraq and the government will garner some much needed credibility.

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.

He explained that although the Iraqi forces were making slow progress, “there are advances [on the ground] and the Iraqi forces are surrounding what’s left of Isis” in Ramadi.

The head of the Anbar military operations, Gen. Ismail al-Mahlawi, told the AP the Iraqi advance had been hampered by suicide bombers, snipers and booby traps.

For that reason, the military and government did not immediately declare victory, but some people were already celebrating on the streets of several Iraqi cities. U.S. officials had hoped Baghdad would launch an assault on Mosul during 2015, but this was put off after the fighters swept into Ramadi in May.