Iraq army says Daesh abandoned positions in Ramadi

ANBAR, Iraq

Daesh militants have abandoned positions in the city of Ramadi amid airstrikes being carried out by Iraqi warplanes, it has been claimed.

In a statement on Sunday, Mohammed al-Bidani, spokesman for War Media Network affiliated with the Iraqi Defense Ministry, said the insurgents had fled government buildings they had been occupying.

The statement said Iraqi warplanes launched airstrikes on the Al-Qa'im district west of Ramadi which killed 25 high-profile rebel figures and destroyed two Daesh positions.

According to the statement, Iraqi security forces encountered no resistance and are combing liberated areas in Ramadi for mines and traps.

The military, alongside Sunni tribal fighters and backed by a U.S.-led international air coalition, began to enter Ramadi early Tuesday.

In June last year, Daesh overran Mosul -- the country’s second largest city -- before moving on to capture additional territory in both Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi government forces, along with pro-government militias and Kurdish peshmerga forces, are currently seeking to retake Daesh-held areas with air support from the U.S.-led coalition.

Over the last year, the coalition has carried out numerous airstrikes against Daesh targets in both Iraq and Syria, forcing the militant group to withdraw from a number of areas it had previously captured, although it remains in firm control of Mosul.