Iraq recaptures Ramadi from ISIS fighters

Iraq’s military reported Monday that it had recaptured the city of Ramadi from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) after seizing a strategic government complex. 

The capital of Anbar province, a Sunni stronghold, fell to ISIS in May.

{mosads}Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul told CNN the Iraqi flag had been raised over the central government compound in Ramadi. He predicted that other cities would follow.

“We will liberate all the other places like we liberated Juif al Nasser and Tikrit and Baiji and other areas,” Rasoul said.

Although he at first declared the city “fully liberated,” another Iraqi military commander, Maj. Gen. Ismail al-Mahlawi, noted that pockets of resistance remained in about 30 percent of the city, particularly on the eastern and northern outskirts, according to The New York Times.

Still, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS hailed the “significant accomplishment” in a statement.

“We congratulate the Iraqi Security Forces for their continued success against ISIL in Ramadi,” said Army Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, using another acronym for ISIS.  

He said coalition support included more than 630 airstrikes, as well as and the training several of the Iraqi Army brigades, counterterrorism units, and federal and local police forces who fought in Ramadi. 

The coalition also provided specialized engineering equipment to clear improvised explosives and car bombs, and provided assistance at multiple Iraqi army headquarters, he said.  

“Today’s success is a proud moment for Iraq,” he said. 

The victory comes as the White House has been pushing back on the perception that the Obama administration lacks a strategy for combating the terrorist group. Ramadi was the largest city captured by ISIS in 2015. 

“The coalition will continue to support the Government of Iraq as they move forward to make Ramadi safe for civilians to return and as the military moves to fight ISIL in other areas of the country,” Warren said. 

 Updated at 7:20 a.m.