The Iraqi military says its forces have retaken the northern town of Nimrud, the site of an ancient Assyrian city, from Islamic State (IS) militants.
"Troops from the 9th Armored Division liberated Nimrud completely and raised the Iraqi flag over its buildings after the enemy suffered heavy casualties," a statement said on November 13.
It did not specifically mention the archaeological site located near the town.
Nimrud dates back to the 13th century BC and became the capital of the Assyrian empire.
The IS group seized the site two years ago and posted video on the Internet of its fighters sledgehammering monuments before planting explosives around the site and blowing it up, as part of a campaign of destruction by the militants against heritage sites under their control in Iraq and neighboring Syria.
Nimrud lies about 30 kilometers southeast of the major city of Mosul, which Iraqi government forces are attempting to seize from IS fighters.
