Recapture of Ramadi is milestone in war on Isis

Col. Steve Warren, U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, congratulated Iraqi forces for “their continued success” against ISIS.

Formed in 2013 from an affiliate of al-Qaeda and known by other names including ISIS, ISIL and Daesh, garnered global headlines for its conquest of territory in Syria and Iraq.

Rasoul said he is confident the military will retake other cities captured by ISIS.

Recapturing Ramadi, located about 70 miles west of Baghdad, would be both a practical and symbolic victory over IS.

Ramadi is the capital of Iraq’s Al Anbar province, only 120 km. down the road from Baghdad.

“The troops only entered the government complex”, Mahlawi told the Associated Press. TV pictures showed troops raising the Iraqi flag over the government complex. Soldiers slaughtered sheep in celebration in nearby damaged buildings.

The announcement by Iraq’s military spokesman, Brig.

Congratulating the Iraqi Prime Minister on their progress in retaking Ramadi, the US Defence Secretary said the fight for the city demonstrates how capable, motivated local forces backed by coalition air support and training can defeat ISIS.

A senior Army commander said that his forces were still sweeping the outskirts of the city for potential pockets of jihadists.

By midday Monday, remaining IS fighters fled the government compound before the advancement of Iraqi forces supported by American airstrikes.

“The Iraqi counter-terrorism forces have raised the Iraqi flag over the government complex”. “We will chase them to end their evil totally”. There were also sniper nests and mortar batteries to contend with, they said.

Nonetheless, the seizing of the government complex – the last major redoubt of IS fighters in Ramadi – was a strategic and symbolic victory after days of fighting. Authorities did not provide casualty figures from the fighting.

“2016 will be the year of the big and final victory, when Daesh’s presence in Iraq will be terminated”, he said, using a derogatory Arabic acronym for the “Islamic State” (“IS”) militant group which in 2014 siezed control over large parts of Iraq and neighboring Syria. The operation has been more important, however, as a dress rehearsal for the retaking of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, which has a multi-ethnic population of Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds and Turkmen.

Dec 29, 2015- Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi has said so-called Islamic State (IS) will be ousted from the country, after government forces recaptured Ramadi.