The Islamic State group's fighters have all left the flashpoint former government compound in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, the spokesman of the elite counter-terrorism service said Sunday.
"All Daesh (IS) fighters have left. There is no resistance," Sabah al-Numan told AFP, adding that the entire perimeter had to be cleared of mines and booby traps before troops could move in.
The BBC reported earlier on Sunday that Iraqi forces entered a former government compound in Ramadi, from where Islamic State group militants have been resisting an army offensive.
A source told the news organization that troops had entered one building and were planning to cautiously clear the rest of the huge compound amid fears of explosives.
Government forces made fresh gains in central Ramadi Sunday and tightened the noose around holdout jihadists making their last stand in the former government complex, officials said.
"The forces have arrived at the gates of the complex [after recapturing three nearby buildings]," said Raja Barakat, a member of the Anbar provincial council.
The elite counter-terrorism forces and army troops backed by Iraqi and US-led coalition air strikes vastly outnumbered the few holed up fighters from the Islamic State group.
But hundreds of booby traps and roadside bombs combined with sniper fire and suicide car bomb attacks meant that, six days into their big push, Iraqi forces still had some fighting to do to retake the city they lost in May.
Ramadi lies about 100 kilometers west of Baghdad and is the capital of Anbar, which is Iraq's largest province and has borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
A victory in Ramadi would help boost Iraq's much-criticized military, which collapsed when IS took over large parts of the country in June 2014.
A senior officer from Iraq's 8th army division said the latest fighting around the government complex left several IS militants dead.
"Seven of our forces were also wounded in these clashes and as a result of the explosion of mines," he said..............http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/97033-151227-iraqi-forces-enter-key-government-compound-in-is-stronghold-of-ramadi-report
27/12/15
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Related:
"All Daesh (IS) fighters have left. There is no resistance," Sabah al-Numan told AFP, adding that the entire perimeter had to be cleared of mines and booby traps before troops could move in.
The BBC reported earlier on Sunday that Iraqi forces entered a former government compound in Ramadi, from where Islamic State group militants have been resisting an army offensive.
A source told the news organization that troops had entered one building and were planning to cautiously clear the rest of the huge compound amid fears of explosives.
Government forces made fresh gains in central Ramadi Sunday and tightened the noose around holdout jihadists making their last stand in the former government complex, officials said.
"The forces have arrived at the gates of the complex [after recapturing three nearby buildings]," said Raja Barakat, a member of the Anbar provincial council.
The elite counter-terrorism forces and army troops backed by Iraqi and US-led coalition air strikes vastly outnumbered the few holed up fighters from the Islamic State group.
But hundreds of booby traps and roadside bombs combined with sniper fire and suicide car bomb attacks meant that, six days into their big push, Iraqi forces still had some fighting to do to retake the city they lost in May.
Ramadi lies about 100 kilometers west of Baghdad and is the capital of Anbar, which is Iraq's largest province and has borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
A victory in Ramadi would help boost Iraq's much-criticized military, which collapsed when IS took over large parts of the country in June 2014.
A senior officer from Iraq's 8th army division said the latest fighting around the government complex left several IS militants dead.
"Seven of our forces were also wounded in these clashes and as a result of the explosion of mines," he said..............http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/97033-151227-iraqi-forces-enter-key-government-compound-in-is-stronghold-of-ramadi-report
27/12/15
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Related:
Irak : l'EI perd l'un de ses quartiers-clés à Ramadi
UNHCR concerned at obstacles facing thousands fleeing Ramadi
US defense chief in Baghdad on unaccounced visit
L'aviation irakienne élimine 25 chefs terroristes...
ReplyDeleteL'aviation irakienne a détruit dimanche 25 chefs du groupe terroriste Etat islamique (EI, ou Daech) dans l'ouest du pays, rapporte l'agence Iraqi Media News Agency se référant au bureau de l'information militaire irakien.
"Les avions de l'Armée de l'air irakienne ont porté une frappe de précision contre la ville d'El-Kaïm, dans l'ouest de la province d'Al-Anbar. La frappe a permis d'éliminer 25 commandants du groupe terroriste Daech et de détruire deux positions des terroristes", ont indiqué les militaires cités par l'agence.
L'armée irakienne mène une opération contre les terroristes dans la province d'Al-Anbar. Elle est épaulée par l'aviation de la coalition internationale dirigée par les Etats-Unis et des groupes de combattants volontaires. La ville de Ramadi, contrôlée par l'EI depuis mai dernier, est le lieu des combats les plus acharnés. Les troupes irakiennes ont lancé mardi une offensive à Ramadi......http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151227/1020595628/irak-frappe-terroristes-elkaim.html#ixzz3vY2JHEHx
The US-led military campaign against Islamic State is unable to determine at this time whether Iraqi security forces have cleared Ramadi's government center, a US defense official said on Sunday...
ReplyDeleteThe Iraqi military on Sunday said Iraqi forces had recaptured the last Islamic State hotbed in the city of Ramadi, which fell to Islamic State militants in May.
"We are unable to confirm at this time whether or not they have cleared the government center," a US military official said, on condition of anonymity.
JPOST.COM BY REUTERS
Керри: часть кварталов иракского Рамади все еще остается под контролем боевиков...
DeleteЧасть кварталов иракского города Рамади, освобожденного в понедельник правительственными силами страны, все еще остается под контролем боевиков "Исламского государства" (ИГ, запрещена в РФ). Об этом говорится в опубликованном заявлении госсекретаря США Джона Керри. "Пока Рамади не находится в полной безопасности, некоторые кварталы города все еще необходимо отбить (у боевиков - прим. ТАСС), - говорится в распространенном заявлении шефа американской дипломатии. - И, все же, флаг Ирака теперь развивается над местным комплексом правительственных зданий, а вражеские силы потерпели крупное поражение". Керри также выразил благодарность иракскому правительству и армии за успешную операцию. Он отметил, что возглавляемая США антитеррористическая коалиция, которая ведет борьбу с ИГ, поддерживала операцию по восстановлению контроля над городом и продолжит оказывать помощь Багдаду. Так, госсекретарь напомнил, что члены объединения обещали предоставить $50 млн на усилия по восстановлению Рамади, которое будут осуществляться иракским правительством и властями региона........http://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/2562732
28/12/15