Iraqi forces backed by the United States-led coalition retook on Friday the last town in the country that was held by the militant Islamic State (IS) group, more than three years after the militants stormed nearly a third of Iraq's territory, the Defence Ministry said.
At dawn, military units and local tribal fighters pushed into the western neighbourhoods of Rawah in western Anbar province, and after just five hours of fighting they retook the town, according to Brigadier Gen Yahya Rasool, the ministry's spokesman.
Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated his forces on retaking Rawah.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, Al-Abadi said Iraqi forces liberated Rawah in record time and were continuing operations to retake control of Iraq's western desert and the border area with Syria.
Rawah, 275 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, lies along the Euphrates River Valley near the border town of Qaim that Iraqi forces retook from IS earlier this month.
US-led coalition forces supported the operations to retake Rawah and Qaim with intelligence, airstrikes and advisers, coalition spokesman Ryan Dillon said.