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Iraqi forces 'enter Islamic State Ramadi stronghold' Iraqi forces 'retake Islamic State Ramadi stronghold'
(about 4 hours later)
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. Iraqi forces have retaken a former government compound in Ramadi from where Islamic State (IS) group militants have been resisting an army offensive, the military has said.
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 complex was "under complete control" and there was no sign of IS fighters, a spokesman said.
IS militants are believed to have fled to the north-east of the city. He said this heralded the defeat of IS in the city, although he admitted there could be pockets of resistance.
The government has been trying to retake Ramadi 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 IS 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.
Tough fighting
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.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 were reported to be within a few hundred yards of the former provincial administrative headquarters on Saturday. After sniper fire from the compound stopped and aerial surveillance detected no human activity, Iraqi soldiers moved in.
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 military spokesman, Sabah al-Numani, told Reuters: "The complex is under our complete control, there is no presence whatsoever of [IS] fighters in the complex.
They reportedly entered what used to be the city's department of health, housing a blood bank. "By controlling the complex this means that they have been defeated in Ramadi. The next step is to clear pockets that could exist here or there in the city."
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. There had been no clear indications of the number of IS militants who had been defending the city, although some reports put it at around 400. No official toll of Iraqi army casualties has been given.
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. The Iraqi military believes the remaining militants have headed north-east; with fighting also reported to be under way to the south-west of the compound.
Concern remains for the plight of hundreds of families who have been trapped on the frontline, the BBC's Thomas Fessy reports from Baghdad. Gen Ismail al-Mahlawi, head of Anbar military operations, told Associated Press that the fighting had been tough given IS's use of suicide bombers, snipers and booby traps.
Concern also remains for the plight of hundreds of families who have been trapped on the frontline, the BBC's Thomas Fessy reports from Baghdad.
Although the full extent of the situation on the ground remains unclear, Agence France-Presse reported there had been celebrations on the streets of a number of Iraqi cities.
The operation to recapture Ramadi began in early November, but 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.