Iraqi forces took back the main hospital in the city of Fallujah Saturday in a U.S.-backed battle to secure the key town from Islamic State militants.
The Iraqi forces have driven most of Islamic State group from the city, which is one of its last remaining strongholds for the extremists in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, military officials said Saturday.
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Brig. Gen. Haider al-Obeidi told the Associated Press that fighting was still underway in parts of the city, where U.S. and Iraqi planes are targeting Islamic State sniper positions.
Soldiers had feared the extremists would use patients as human shields in taking the hospital earlier on Saturday, but it turns out that wasn’t the case.
When they stormed the facility they found no patients inside, al-Obeidi said, adding that the Iraqi flag has been raised over the building.
Later his troops captured the Dubbat neighborhood and are continuing to push into the northern neighborhood of Golan and several other small areas, he said.
