The Iraqi government and military have announced that they have fully recaptured and regained full control of the city of Ramadi, which was previously taken over by the Islamic State (IS). However, the efforts of rebuilding the city are being slowed down as the country is plagued with financial troubles.
In a report by Rudaw, the Iraqi military announced that they have fought the remaining IS militants in the past few weeks. The battle was participated by the military and other counterterrorism forces such as the local police and Shiite militia.
Last December, most of the areas in Ramadi have been declared to be free from the presence of the extremist group. The military also said in their statement that the main road connecting Ramadi to Iraq's capital, Baghdad, has been recaptured and is already under their control.
ABC News reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated the people on the liberation of Ramadi. However, the announcement which came a month after Ramadi was first declared free from IS militants is seen as a slow progress especially in ground operations.
The governor of Anbar province has also praised the Iraqi military as well as the U.S.-led coalition for their efforts to remove militants completely from Ramadi. He did note that despite being able to have control over the city again after months of IS taking over the area, security and humanitarian issues are still to be prioritized. Accordingly, the city is still blanketed with homemade bombs and improvised explosives. These bombs are preventing civilians to go back to their homes.
Efforts to clear the city from the explosives have been slowed down due to lack of funds. Also, rebuilding the city has been a challenge as the United Nations (UN) assessed that around 4,500 buildings were damaged or completely destroyed from the clash.
UN's deputy special representative to Iraq, Lise Grande, said in a statement, "The level of destruction in Ramadi is as bad as anything we have seen in Iraq." Grande has appealed for at least $40 million from international donors to help Ramadi, Reuters reported.
Ramadi fell to the militants in May of 2015 and was dubbed as the largest defeat for Iraq's military. IS mostly controlled a third of Iraq but was lessened when the U.S.-led coalition began in August of 2014.
