BAGHDAD — Iraq security forces recaptured areas lost earlier to the Islamic State group in and around the battleground city of Ramadi, security officials said on Tuesday.
Police Major Omar al-Alawni said government forces regained control of the city's Pediatric and Maternity Hospital and the surrounding neighborhood late Monday night after fierce clashes with the militants. The hospital is located about 500 meters from a complex of government offices.
Police Colonel Mahdi Abbas said Iraqi troops were engaged in intense clashes Tuesday in an offensive to regain control of Soufiya, one of three villages that fell into the hands of the Islamic State group last week.
Both officials said the battles turned in favor of government forces after the arrival of reinforcements and weapons from Baghdad. At least 12 militants were killed in clashes overnight, they said.
Footage obtained by The Associated Press showed military black Humvees advancing in a residential area in Ramadi and Iraqi soldiers firing their rifles while taking shelter behind a wall.
The security situation in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, sharply deteriorated after IS seized Soufiya and two other villages, Sjariyah and Albu-Ghanim, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes.
