This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35186105

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Iraqi forces 'enter Islamic State Ramadi stronghold' Iraqi forces 'enter Islamic State Ramadi stronghold'
(35 minutes later)
Iraqi forces have entered a former government compound in Ramadi, from where Islamic State group militants have been resisting an army offensive, sources have told the BBC. Iraqi forces have entered a former government compound in Ramadi, from where Islamic State (IS) group militants have been resisting an army offensive, sources have told the BBC.
The source said troops had entered one building and were planning to push cautiously through the rest of the huge compound amid fears of explosives.The source said troops had entered one building and were planning to push cautiously through the rest of the huge compound amid fears of explosives.
IS militants are believed to have fled to the north-east of the city.IS militants are believed to have fled to the north-east of the city.
The government has been trying to retake the city for weeks. The government has been trying to retake Ramadi for weeks.
The mainly Sunni Arab city, about 55 miles (90km) west of Baghdad, fell to the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in May, and was seen as an embarrassing defeat for the army. The mainly Sunni Arab city, about 55 miles (90km) west of Baghdad, fell to IS in May, and was seen as an embarrassing defeat for the army.
A group of Iraqi soldiers had entered what used to be the city's department of health - housing the blood bank - the BBC's Thomas Fessy reports from Baghad, quoting security sources. In recent days, troops have been picking their way through booby-trapped streets and buildings as they pushed towards the city centre, seizing several districts on the way.
They did so after aerial surveillance detected no human activity in the complex. They were reported to be within a few hundred yards of the former provincial administrative headquarters on Saturday.
Our correspondent says the Iraqi military believes the militants have headed north-east; fighting meanwhile is reported to be under way to the south-west of the compound. When sniper fire from the compound stopped, and aerial surveillance detected no human activity, a group of Iraqi soldiers moved in, the source said.
The operation to recapture Ramadi began in early November, and troops have seized several districts as they headed into the city in recent days. They reportedly entered what used to be the city's department of health, housing a blood bank.
Concern remains for the plight of hundreds of families who have been trapped on the frontline, our correspondent says. The Iraqi military believes the militants have headed north-east; fighting meanwhile is reported to be under way to the south-west of the compound.
The operation to recapture Ramadi began in early November, but has made slow progress, mainly because the government chose not to use the powerful Shia-dominated paramilitary force that helped it regain the northern city of Tikrit, to avoid increasing sectarian tensions.
Concern remains for the plight of hundreds of families who have been trapped on the frontline, the BBC's Thomas Fessy reports from Baghdad.