Iraq Forces Extend Control In Ramadi, Rescue Civilians

Iraqi forces are extending their control within the central city of Ramadi as they continue to flush out pockets of Islamic State (IS) fighters in the city.

The expansion by Iraqi soldiers on January 1 allowed hundreds of trapped civilians to escape from areas that had been controlled by the militants.

Some terrified families waved white flags as they emerged from homes reduced to rubble.

Hamid al-Dulaimi, a Ramadi district mayor, said Iraqi forces had retaken control of the city's agricultural college and soldiers are "clearing several other neighborhoods."

The government declared on December 27 that it had captured the center of Ramadi, the capital of the western Anbar Province.

The IS had taken Ramadi in May, and its liberation by Iraqi forces is seen as a big boost to the government.

Police chief Hadi Irzayij said security forces had detained 30 suspected IS fighters "who were attempting to flee Ramadi by blending in with civilians."

An Iraqi military official said IS fighters that had retreated from Ramadi attacked an Iraqi Army compound outside the city on January 1 with "suicide vehicles" and commandos wearing suicide belts.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters