U.S.-backed Iraqi forces retook control of the government complex in central Ramadi, the last Islamic State stronghold in the city, according to a military spokesman.
“This means that they have been defeated in Ramadi,” Sabah al-Numani, a spokesman for Iraqi’s army counterterrorism unit said. “The next step is to clear pockets that could exist here or there in the city.”
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Earlier this week, Iraqi forces engaged Islamic State fighters for the first time, the New York Times reported. The offensive to take back the city center of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar Province, began roughly two weeks ago. The city fell to the terror group in May.
“The complex is under our complete control, there is no presence whatsoever of Daesh fighters in the complex,” al-Numan told Reuters, using a derogatory Arabic acronym to refer to the Islamic State.
The recapture of Ramadi would be one of the most significant victories for Iraq’s armed forces since the Islamic State began its attempted takeover over the country in 2014.
