Iraq has declared that the city of Ramadi has been fully liberated from the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, and that government soldiers have raised the national Iraqi flag over the main government building in the strategic western city.
The Iraqi military command made the announcement on Monday afternoon.
Earlier on Sunday, Sabah al-Numan, a spokesman for Iraqi counter-terrorism units, said Iraqi government forces had seized control of the former government compound in central Ramadi, the last Daesh stronghold in the city.
He added that Iraqi forces are removing roadside bombs as they push forward.
Separately, at least 40 members of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group were killed in separate operations by the air force in Iraqs crisis-hit western province of Anbar as well as the northern province of Salahuddin.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="650"] This file photo shows an F-16D fighter jet operated by the Iraqi Air Force.[/caption]
On Sunday, a total of 25 Daesh terrorists were killed when Iraqi fighter jets carried out a precision strike against the extremists position in the town of al-Qaim, situated about 500 kilometers (about 310 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad, Arabic-language al-Sumaria satellite television network reported.
Iraqi military aircraft launched a separate air assault west of al-Siniya (Chinese) district in Salahuddin Province, leaving 15 Daesh militants dead and a number of their vehicles destroyed.
Elsewhere, in the western city of Hit, located about 140 kilometers (85 miles) west of Baghdad, Iraqi jets carried out a precision strike against a Daesh-run bomb-making workshop, destroying all the explosives inside and killing several terrorists there.
An unspecified number of terrorists were also killed during Iraqi army aerial assaults on Daesh bases in Share and Taban districts west of the city of Samarra, located 125 kilometers (78 miles) north of Baghdad.
Moreover, Iraqi warplanes struck and destroyed Deash oil storage facilities in the oil-rich Haqoul Ajil district, east of the strategic city of Tikrit, itself situated 140 kilometers (86 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
Separately, Iraqi security forces made fresh gains against Daesh terrorists in the city of Husaybah, which lies seven kilometers (4.5 miles) east of Anbars provincial capital city of Ramadi, on Sunday.
The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by violence ever since Daesh began an offensive through Iraqi territory in June 2014. Army soldiers and Popular Mobilization units have joined forces and are seeking to take back militant-held regions in joint operations.