Victory near for Iraq forces as Islamic State leaves key compound

Baghdad: Islamic State group fighters pulled out of their last stronghold in Ramadi on Sunday, bringing Iraqi federal forces within sight of their biggest victory since last year's debacle.

The elite counter-terrorism service was hours away from moving into the former government complex in Ramadi, which the jihadists had fiercely defended for several days, the force's spokesman said.

"All Daesh (IS) fighters have left. There is no resistance," Sabah al-Numan said. "The operation is almost wrapped up; our forces will enter in the coming hours." He said a major clearing effort was needed to allow forces to move in because IS rigged the entire area with roadside bombs and booby traps.

For that reason, the military and government did not immediately declare victory, but some people were already celebrating on the streets of several cities.

After months of preparation, Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes had punched into the centre of Ramadi on Tuesday, in a final push to retake the city they lost in May.

The fighting over the past two days had been concentrated around the government complex, whose recapture had become synonymous with victory in the battle for Ramadi.

According to medical sources in Baghdad, 93 members of the security forces were brought in with injuries on Sunday alone. "The dead bodies are taken directly to the main military hospital" near the airport, said one hospital source. At least five government fighters have been killed over the past two days alone, but no official has divulged any overall toll for the operation.

Estimates a week ago were that the Islamic State had around 400 fighters to defend central Ramadi, many of them protecting the government compound.

Those numbers were thought to have drastically declined over the past two days, with several fighters retreating from the main battle and dozens of others killed in fighting or in suicide attacks.

Ali Dawood, the head of the neighbouring Khaldiya council, said IS fighters used civilians as human shields to slip out of the government complex.

"Daesh fighters forced all the families living around the compound to go with them in order to flee towards Sichariyah, Sufiya and Jweiba," on the eastern outskirts of Ramadi, he said.

He had said on Saturday that more than 250 families had managed to escape the combat zones since the start of the operation and had been escorted to safety by the army. Some of them were in camps with other displaced people in Anbar, while others headed to Baghdad or the northern autonomous Kurdish region.