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Ramadi residents celebrate liberation from Daesh

Thursday, 24 December 2015 9:30 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 24 December 2015 9:33 AM ]

Iraqi security forces enter southern neighborhoods of Ramadi, December 23, 2015. (Photo by AP)

Residents in Ramadi warmly welcome army troops after they drive Daesh terrorists out of the Iraqi city.

Video footage on the Internet showed people in the liberated areas of Ramadi clapping and celebrating.

Iraqi soldiers are in a final push to retake the city. On Thursday, the Arabic-language al-Forat news agency said troops had begun liberating government buildings in the al-Hoz district.

Major General Abdul-Ghani al-Assadi, the commander of Iraq’s counter-terrorism unit, said government buildings would be imminently liberated.

Assadi said adverse weather conditions in the region have slowed their advances, but have not stopped them.

In their latest operations, Special Forces attacked Daesh hideouts in the al-Zubat neighborhood of Ramadi, discovering a maze of underground tunnels.

Local sources said counter-terrorism units were heading toward al-Humaira region south of Ramadi.

On Wednesday, Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanimi said his troops needed only days to drive Daesh out of Ramadi.

The city in the Anbar province has been under the control of the terrorists since May.

Iraqi security forces hold a national flag as they enter the southern neighborhoods of Ramadi, December 23, 2015. (Photo by AP)

The Iraqi army began an all-out offensive early Tuesday to retake the city. Ramadi's recapture would be Iraq's most significant gains against Daesh, which holds the major city of Mosul.

The Iraqi military and Popular Mobilization forces have expelled the Takfiri terrorists from some key areas, including Tikrit at the end of March.

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