Ramadi is no longer in the hands of the Islamic State (IS). The Iraqi Army got back the city considered the biggest capture by the Daesh in 2015 and the capital of Anbar province found in the Euphrates River valley. The city has mostly Sunni-Muslim residents.
The IS seized Ramadi in May after the government troops deserted the city in defeat. Last week, the army initiated a campaign to retake the city. Weeks prior to that, the army encircled Ramadi. After its recapture, the next step it to clear Ramadi of pockets of the terror organization, says Sabah al-Numani, spokesman for the group that led the fight on behalf of the Iraqi government, reports Reuters.
Before the troops got back the city, they had to pick their way through streets and buildings that had booby traps. Iraqi soldiers took over Ramadi when the sniper fire from the IS-controlled compound stopped and aerial surveillance indicate lack of human movements, reports BBC.
After the battle, some of Ramadi's districts were destroyed by the warfare. Footage of the city aired by the state television showed rubbles and collapsed homes as government soldiers, Humvee vehicle and tanks entered the compound.
With the city no longer in IS control, Falih al-Essawi, council member of Anbar Province, called on the Iraqi government to bring back service to Ramadi and rebuild the destroyed area.
The Iraqi troops won back Ramadi with no assistance for militias - kept off the battlefield to avoid clashes with the city's Sunni population - unlike previous battles when the Iran-supported Shi'ite militias played a role in recapturing Tikrit in April, the home city of deposed Libyan dictator Saddam Hussein.