Iraqi security forces on Monday declared victory over the IS militant group in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s western province of Anbar.
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The troops “have retook control of Ramadi after liberating its district one by one, and raised the Iraqi flag on the government complex”, the military statement said.
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Gen. Yahya Rasool, announced that the city had been “fully liberated” from the “hateful claws” of the Islamic State, which took control of Ramadi seven months ago.
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“We are congratulating the Iraqi security forces for their significant progress in Ramadi”, said U.S. Army Col. Chris Garver, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State. Military officials say the forces seized the main government complex there, and say insurgents are still operating in pockets of the city, west of Baghdad.
“Coupled with other recent ISIL losses across Iraq and Syria, including at Tikrit, Bayji, al Hawl, the Tishrin Dam, and Sinjar, the seizure of the Government Center clearly demonstrates that the enemy is losing momentum as they steadily cede territory”, he said.
CNN reported that fighting in and around the city is likely to continue for some time, analysts say.
The Iraqi forces had been supported by over 600 coalition airstrikes since July.
An Iraqi soldier holds a national flag in the government complex in Ramadi.
Authorities gave no immediate death toll from the battle for the city.
Television also showed nighttime celebrations in mainly Shi’ite cities south of Baghdad, for the victory in Anbar, with people dancing in the streets and waving Iraqi flags from cars. It fell to the Islamic State in May.
In the east of Mosul, Nineveh’s provincial capital, the militants executed two teachers for refusing to teach the material Daesh had dictated.
Nonetheless, the seizure of the government complex – the last major redoubt of Islamic State fighters in Ramadi – was a strategic and symbolic victory after days of fighting. On Sunday alone, coalition planes launched three airstrikes over Ramadi, hitting 18 targets.
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.
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The Pentagon told the BBC Monday the operation to take back Ramadi is a “proud moment for Iraq”, and that “the coalition will continue to support the government of Iraq as they move forward to make Ramadi safe for civilians to return”. They have said most residents were evacuated before the assault.
