The Iraqi army wrested Ramadi from the Islamic State group in January 2016, after the militant group occupied it for eight months. Coalition forces hailed the victory as a major step in driving IS from the country. But photos from the sky and from the ground show a devastated city made unlivable by IS sabotage and the massive bombardment needed to drive it out. Satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe and AP reporting from the city illustrate how the destruction left behind an empty prize.
Photo: Iraqi soldiers at the entrance to the Anbar Operations Command headquarters. Source: AP.
