Excerpt
SUMMARY: After a seven-month siege by the Islamic State militant group, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi planted his country's flag in Ramadi after government troops retook the city center. But the battle isn't completely over: Militants remain in other parts of the city. Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Warner reports on the victory, while Gwen Ifill talks to Matt Bradley of The Wall Street Journal.
MARGARET WARNER (NewsHour): It was a triumphant tour for the Iraqi prime minister. Today, Haider al-Abadi planted his country’s flag in the city after government troops retook its center.
HAIDER AL-ABADI, Prime Minister, Iraq (voice of interpreter): ISIS said they would fight in Ramadi, but they felt afraid. They didn’t fight. They fled, and many of them were killed.
MARGARET WARNER: It was a seven-month slog to this day. Islamic State militants had captured Ramadi, capital of the majority Sunni Anbar province, in May.
After encircling Ramadi for weeks, last week, Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, finally launched an assault into the city. And over the weekend, they made a final push to seize its central administration complex.
Yesterday, troops celebrated as they raised the Iraqi flag above the key government building.
Today, speaking from Baghdad, U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren underscored the role of U.S.-led airpower in retaking the city.
COL. STEVE WARREN, Spokesman, Combined Joint Task Force: I would agree that probably 80 percent of the effort in Ramadi was due to coalition airstrikes. This is significant. And this is what really facilitated or enabled the Iraqi forces to move in. It’s using that airpower as the force multiplier that it really can be.
MARGARET WARNER: Warren also told reporters that airstrikes over the past month have killed 10 Islamic State leaders. Several of them were linked to the deadly attacks in Paris, and one had direct ties to the ringleader of the November 13 rampage.
Back in Ramadi, there is much work left to do. Iraqi forces have cleared the areas shown here in green, but militants remain in other parts of the city. Indeed, Abadi and his convoy were forced to leave one section of Ramadi after mortar rounds landed nearby. Explosives also must be removed from streets and buildings.
Warren declined to predict how long that would take.
"After Ramadi, bigger fights to come in Iraq against ISIS" PBS NewsHour 12/31/2015
Excerpt
SUMMARY: The worst finally seems over for the civilians of Ramadi, who are beginning to emerge after living for months under Islamic State control. Iraqi forces recaptured the city center on Monday, but are still removing bombs and searching for militants. Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Warner takes stock of what the victory means for the ongoing fight to drive the militants out of Iraq.
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