Military spokesman: Iraqi forces take control over last ISIS stronghold in Ramadi

“It will take a long time to completely liberate the city”, said Eid al-Karboly, a spokesman for the provincial council of Anbar, of which Ramadi is the capital.

Defeat The city, the capital of Anbar province to the west of Baghdad, fell under Isis control in May after government troops fled in a defeat that prompted Washington to rethink its strategy against the militants.

Gen. Ismail al-Mahlawi, said Sunday that the advance is hampered by suicide bombers, snipers and booby traps.

Leading up to the incursion security forces airdropped leaflets over the city of Ramadi on December 20 calling for local residents to leave the city ahead of a military offensive against Islamic State group militants.

The recapturing of Ramadi was seen as a victory by many in the US-led coalition against ISIS and in Iraq. That has allowed military forces a chance to prove that they can go it alone.

One of them said he and his family were rescued after retreating Isil fighters used them as human shields to leave the city.

“They used everything from oxygen bottles to jerrycans, that contain C-4 (plastic explosive) and chlorine”, he said.

“Even the cats walking in the street might be booby-trapped”, he said.

He said roadside bombs were strung together in “networks” that can take hours to defuse.

Iraq’s defense minister, Khaled al-Obeidi, said a week ago that Iraqi forces had reconquered more than half of the territory lost to IS in June and August 2014. In this Friday, Dec. 25, 2015 photo, smoke rises from Islamic State positions following a U.S.-led coalition airstrike as Iraqi Security forces advance their position in downtown Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq. He claimed that the remainder of Ramadi would take “a few days” to clear.

Shi’ite militias backed by Iran, which have played a major role in other offensive against Islamic State, have been kept away by the Iraqi government from the battlefield in Ramadi to avoid sectarian tensions. They were assisted in the effort by coalition airstrikes.

“The most important thing is to secure it (Ramadi) because Daesh can bounce back”, he said in an interview in Baghdad. “Support will continue until all areas are liberated”.

The troops also made a significant advance in northern the city and recaptured Ramadi Dam on Euphrates River and the surrounding areas, after killing dozens of IS militants and destroying seven of their vehicles, including three booby-trapped vehicles, a source from the army’s 10th Division told Xinhua told Xinhua. Rawi, the Anbar governor, said some areas were hit harder than others.