伊拉克军队夺回拉马迪

Iraqi forces are carefully sweeping the streets of the city Monday, searching for explosives and any other booby traps possibly set by Islamic State militants before they lost control of the city.

Troops were working toward the center of the government compound after securing the area on Sunday. IS militants had captured the city - the capital of Anbar province - in May.

Iraqi forces say pockets of jihadists may remain. Authorities say, however, the troops faced no resistance since jihadists fled on Sunday. There have been no reliable casualty reports.

It is also still not clear how many civilians remain in central Ramadi, 100 kilometers west of Baghdad. But an Iraqi spokesman has said most residents had taken shelter at a nearby hospital.

After months of preparation, Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes pushed into the center of the city last week in a concerted effort to recapture the city from Islamic state fighters.

伊拉克政府军星期日攻占该地区后，向政府办公区的中心地带推进。今年5月，伊斯兰国激进分子控制了安巴尔省首府拉马迪。

伊拉克部队说，可能仍有零星伊斯兰国激进分子隐藏在市内。但是有关当局说，自激进分子星期日逃走后，军队没有遇到任何抵挡。目前没有可靠的伤亡数字报道。

目前也不清楚拉马迪市中心有多少平民。但伊拉克发言人说，大多数居民都在附近一家医院避难。拉马迪位于巴格达以西100公里。

经过数月准备后，伊拉克军队上周在以美国为首的联军空袭支援下向拉马迪市中心推进，协力从伊斯兰国激进分子手中夺回这座城市。