Iraq
says forces raise flag above government complex in Ramadi
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[December 28, 2015]
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's military
flew the Iraqi flag above the central government complex in city of
Ramadi, a military spokesman said on Monday, the morning after the army
declared the city captured in its first major victory over Islamic State
fighters.
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"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.
Victory in Ramadi, which was seized by Islamic State in May, is the
first major triumph for Iraq's U.S.-trained army since it collapsed
in the face of an assault by the hardline Sunni militants 18 months
ago.
Ramadi, capital of mainly Sunni Muslim Anbar province in the
Euphrates River valley west of Baghdad, had been Islamic State's
biggest prize of 2015, seized in May.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Dec/28/images/ads/current/World_Finance_sda_christmas_102715.png) Iraqi forces launched an assault on the city last week and made a
final push to seize the central administration complex on Sunday.
Their progress had been slowed by explosives planted in streets and
booby-trapped buildings.
Security officials have said the forces still need to clear some
pockets of insurgents in the city and its outskirts.
If the recapture of Ramadi is confirmed, it will be the first major
city seized from Islamic State by Iraq's military, which in past
battles against the militants had operated mainly in a supporting
role alongside Iran-backed Shi'ite militias.
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The militias were held back from the battlefield in Ramadi this time
to avoid antagonizing the mainly Sunni population.
The government has said the next target after Ramadi will be the
northern city of Mosul, by far the largest population center
controlled by Islamic State in either Iraq or Syria.
(Reporting By Stephen Kalin and Saif Hameed; Editing by John
Stonestreet and Peter Graff)
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