Ramadi, Iraq: Provincial Capital ‘Fully Liberated’ From Islamic State Group, Iraqi Milit
The Iraqi military announced victory Sunday after seizing a key administrative facility. “Today’s success is a proud moment for Iraq,” a Pentagon spokesman said.
Iraq’s army declared victory over Islamic State fighters in a provincial capital west of Baghdad on Sunday, the first major triumph for the U.S.-trained force since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the militants 18 months ago.
The capture of Ramadi, capital of mainly Sunni-Muslim Anbar province in the Euphrates River valley west of the capital, deprives Islamic State militants of their biggest prize of 2015. The fighters seized it in May after government troops fled in a defeat which prompted Washington to take a hard look at strategy in its ongoing air war against the militants.
After encircling the city for weeks, the Iraqi military launched a campaign to retake it last week, and made a final push to seize the central administration complex on Sunday.