Ramadi 'liberated from Isis', Iraqi military spokesman says

Counter-terrorism forces raised the Iraqi flag above the central government complex

Monday 28 December 2015 09:53

Iraqi Security forces with national flag enter downtown Ramadi, 55 miles west of Baghdad, Iraq

(AP)

The Iraqi city of Ramadi has been "liberated" from Isis militants, according to a military spokesman.

Iraq's counter-terrorism forces raised the Iraqi flag above the central government complex in the western city, a day after the army declared victory over Isis fighters there.

“Yes, the city of Ramadi has been liberated. The Iraqi counter terrorism forces have raised the Iraqi flag over the government complex in Anbar”, joint operations spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said in a statement broadcast on state television.

Iraqi forces claimed the huge victory earlier, saying they had regained “full control” of central Ramadi.

US-trained troops regained control of a former strategic government complex in the centre of the majority Sunni city, about 55 miles west of Baghdad.

"By controlling the complex this means that we have defeated them in Ramadi," said Sabah al-Numani, a spokesman for the army counterterrorism unit in charge of the offensive. "The next step is to clear pockets that could exist here or there in the city."

✕

Iraq: Army declares full control central Ramadi

This victory reversed the embarrassing defeat to Isis when Ramadi was captured in May and deprives the militants of their biggest prize of 2015.

It has taken months to organise the campaign and was conducted in co-ordination with coalition air strikes.

In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria

Show all 19

1/19In pictures: Russian air strikes in Syria

Syrian boys cry following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo

Getty

Russian defense ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Konashenkov strongly warned the United States against striking Syrian government forces and issued a thinly-veiled threat to use Russian air defense assets to protect them

AP

Syrians wait to receive treatment at a hospital following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Alepp

Getty

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov speaks at a briefing in the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia. Antonov said the Russian air strikes in Syria have killed about 35,000 militants, including about 2,700 residents of Russia

AP

Jameel Mustafa Habboush, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the white helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighbourhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo

Getty

Civil defence members rest amidst rubble in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria

Reuters

A girl carrying a baby inspects damage in a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria

Reuters

Civilians and civil defence members look for survivors at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria

Reuters

Civilians and civil defence members carry an injured woman on a stretcher at a site damaged after Russian air strikes on the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria

Reuters

Volunteers from Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, help civilians after Russia carried out its first airstrikes in Syria

The aftermath of Russian airstrike in Talbiseh, Syria

Smoke billows from buildings in Talbiseh, in Homs province, western Syria, after airstrikes by Russian warplanes

AP

Russian Air Forces carry out an air strike in the ISIS controlled Al-Raqqah Governorate. Russia's KAB-500s bombs completely destroy the Liwa al-Haqq command unit

Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria

Â© TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

Russia claimed it hit eight Isis targets, including a "terrorist HQ and co-ordination centre" that was completely destroyed

A video grab taken from the footage made available on the Russian Defence Ministry's official website, purporting to show an airstrike in Syria

A release from the Russian defence ministry purportedly showing targets in Syria being hit

Russia launched air strikes in war-torn Syria, its first military engagement outside the former Soviet Union since the occupation of Afghanistan in 1979. Russian warplanes carried out strikes in three Syrian provinces along with regime aircraft as Putin seeks to steal US President Barack Obama's thunder by pushing a rival plan to defeat Isis militants in Syria

Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy firing Kalibr cruise missiles against remote Isis targets in Syria, a thousand kilometres away. The targets include ammunition factories, ammunition and fuel depots, command centres, and training camps

Â© TASS/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

The army’s progression through the city had been slower than expected due to fears of explosives and traps laid by Isis militants.

Join our new commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies