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Key Iraqi city of Ramadi falls to Islamic State

The Iraqi city of Ramadi fell to the Islamic State on Sunday, despite intensive American airstrikes over the past few weeks, the New York Times reported.On Sunday morning, militants detonated a series of morning car bombs, which forced government security forces to abandon a military base and to retreat to the east side of the city.After ransacking a military headquarters, militants seized a large store of weapons.According to officials, more than 500 people, including security forces and civilians, have been killed in and around Ramadi over the last two days, CNN reported.The fall of Ramadi happened a day after U.S. special operations forces carried out a raid in eastern Syria that resulted in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Sayyaf and the capture of his wife. Although the Islamic State has recently lost territory, the fall of Ramadi shows the group can still conduct effective offensive military operations.The fall of Ramadi is considered the biggest victory of the Islamic State this year, but Iraqi and US officials have said that despite its capture the fight for the city is far from over.