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world NEWSWednesday 30 December
Iraqi PM tours Ramadi to hail city’s liberation from IS
S. SALAHEDDIN buildings, al-Belawi said, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, center, raises an Iraqi flag in the city of Ramadi after it
Associated Press even as sporadic clashes
BAGHDAD (AP) — A trium- were underway in outlying was retaken by the security forces in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Dec.
phant Iraqi prime minister parts of the city.
on Tuesday toured the Ramadi, the Anbar pro- 29, 2015. Iraqi military forces on Monday retook a strategic government complex in the city of
western city of Ramadi, just vincial capital, fell to IS in
a day after government May, marking a major set- Ramadi from Islamic State militants who have occupied the city since May. (AP Photo)
troops routed Islamic State back for Iraqi forces and
militants from the area and the U.S.-led campaign. bridges leading into the As significant — and sym- west of Baghdad, and
recaptured a key govern- The Baghdad government city center. bolic — as the action was, nearby Fallujah, which lies
ment complex. was quick to announce On Monday, Iraqi forces, Iraqi military officials said half-way on the road to
Iraqi state TV reported that a counter-offensive to re- backed by U.S.-led air- Islamic State fighters were Baghdad and remains un-
Haider al-Abadi was in Ra- take the city but attempts strikes, drove IS militants still holed up in various der IS control, saw some of
madi but offered no further repeatedly stalled. out of the city center and pockets of the city. the heaviest fighting of the
details. But an Iraqi military Then in November, al-Aba- raised the Iraqi flag over Ramadi, located about eight-year U.S. intervention
commander, Brig. Gen. di’s forces announced a the government complex. 130 kilometers (80 miles) in Iraq.q
Ahmed al-Belawi told The major push to recapture
Associated Press that the Ramadi, warning residents
prime minister kicked off to leave and advancing
the visit by meeting secu- quickly across the Euphra-
rity and provincial officials tes River.
for the latest updates. Their progress was subse-
Across the city meanwhile, quently slowed by heavy IS
military engineering teams resistance, booby-trapped
were clearing bombs from buildings and sniper fire.
the streets and nearby The militants blew up all
Syrian troops advance in south and center
BRIAN ROHAN gade 82 in the town of lowing a harsh crackdown
Associated Press Sheikh al-Maskeen, also on dissent. The conflict has
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian forces in the Daraa area, which killed more than 250,000
have retaken a key south- rebels had captured last people and generated a
ern military base after January, the two sides said, massive refugee crisis.
heavy fighting with rebels adding that the troops also Abdurrahman said the
and an al-Qaida affiliate, took control of the north- fighting began a day ear-
and seized mountain vil- ern part of the town. The lier and that among the
lages after driving out Is- area is some 90 kilometers rebels were fighters from
lamic State fighters, the (56 miles) from the capital, al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate,
government and opposi- Damascus. the Nusra Front, as well as
tion activists said Tuesday. “It’s a very important gain various Islamic factions.
The advances came after for the regime forces. Government troops were
the army killed 17 fighters They’ve now cut the road bolstered by Iranian offi-
from Islamic rebel factions between Daraa and Da- cers, pro-government mili-
gathered at farmhouses in mascus,” said Rami Ab- tiamen and Lebanese He-
the southern Daraa prov- durrahman of the Britain- zbollah fighters, as well as
ince late Saturday, and based Syrian Observatory some 80 airstrikes from the
also eliminated a powerful for Human Rights. government side, possibly
rebel leader on the out- Daraa was the birthplace including some from Rus-
skirts of Damascus a day of the 2011 uprising against sian aircraft, he added.
earlier. President Bashar Assad, Assad’s forces have been
On Tuesday, government which began with mostly on a major push since Rus-
forces backed by allies peaceful protests but es- sia began an air campaign
captured the base of Bri- calated into a civil war fol- in Syria on Sept. 30.q
