Iraqi forces retake Fallujah government compound.
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Iraqi army vehicles seen in Fallujah on June 17.Iraqi forces have retaken the main government compound in Fallujah, top commanders said, a breakthrough in the nearly four–week-old offensive against the Islamic State (IS)
The elite federal forces met limited resistance from IS fighters, who are redeploying on the western outskirts of the city,
"The counter-terrorism service and the rapid response forces have retaken the government compound in the centre of Fallujah," said the operation's overall commander, Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi.
Raed Shaker Jawdat, Iraq's federal police chief, confirmed the advance.
"The liberation of the government compound, which is the main landmark in the city, symbolises the restoration of the state's authority" in Fallujah, he said.
The Government lost control of Fallujah in 2014, months before IS took second city Mosul and swept across large parts of the country.
Fallujah, which lies just 50 kilometres west of Baghdad, is one of IS's most emblematic strongholds and its loss would leave Mosul as the only major Iraqi city under its control.
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