Iraqi officials say troops have recaptured a neighborhood on the southwestern side of Ramadi from the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
Iraqi forces were working on December 8 to clear bombs planted by the militants in the Al-Tameem area.
Major General Hadi Irzayij, the police chief for Anbar, said on December 8 that Iraqi forces were “ready and close to entering the center of the city."
IS fighters overran Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, in May, dealing the biggest blow to Iraqi forces since the fall of the northern city of Mosul nearly a year before.
The government soon announced a counteroffensive, but progress has been sluggish.
More than a week ago, Iraqi forces announced the capture of the Palestine Bridge, completing the encirclement of Ramadi.
