PARIS (Sputnik) — French President Francois Hollande has congratulated Iraq's Prime Minister Haider Abadi with the liberation of Ramadi from occupation by Daesh terrorist group, the president's administration said in a statement Monday.
"The president spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi over the phone. He congratulated him on the liberation of the city of Ramadi by Iraqi forces, which is the most important victory since the beginning of the fight against the Daesh terrorist organization," the statement said.
Earlier on Monday, Iraq's army announced that it had regained full control over the strategically important Anbar province's capital Ramadi. Complete liberation of the Anbar province from Daesh is to be announced within two days, media reports suggested, citing a military source.
The Iraqi army launched an anti-Daesh offensive across Anbar on December 22. The main aim of the offensive was to liberate Ramadi, which has been occupied by Daesh militants since May.
Daesh, which is an extremist jihadist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries, has seized large areas in Syria and Iraq in 2014, declaring a caliphate on territories under its control.
