Iraqi Army Declares Victory Over Islamic State in Ramadi
Iraqi Army Declares Victory Over Islamic State in Ramadi by Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters
Iraq's army said on Sunday it had defeated Islamic State fighters in a provincial capital west of Baghdad, the first major victory for the U.S.-trained force since it collapsed in the face of an assault by the militants 18 months ago.
Victory in Ramadi, capital of mainly Sunni-Muslim Anbar province in the Euphrates River valley west of the capital, deprives Islamic State militants of their biggest prize of 2015. The fighters captured it in May after government troops fled in a defeat which prompted Washington to take a hard look at strategy against the militants.
After encircling the city for weeks, the Iraqi military launched a campaign to retake it last week, and made a final push to seize the central administration complex on Sunday…