Iraqi Officials: Islamic State Raises Black Flag Over Ramadi

Iraqi officials reported Friday that the Islamic State reportedly raised its infamous black flag over the important city of Ramadi after a series of suicide bombings.

Media outlets report that the terrorist successfully seized the main government building in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's largest province, on Friday.

The BBC reports that at least 50 local police officers are being held at the main police department and governor's office after the terrorist group used six suicide bombs to attack the city.

"The city's fallen. They've taken it," Maj. Omar Khamis al-Dahl, a senior officer in the Iraqi city, told The Washington Post in an interview Friday.

Friday's attack has garnered criticism regarding the power of Iraqi ground troops in fighting off the terrorist group.

"The government response has been very weak. We told them Islamic State has taken part of the government compound," Rajeh Barakat, a member of Ramadi's local government council, told the Wall Street Journal.

According to Reuters, the Islamic State's possible seizure of Ramadi would be the terrorist group's first major victory over an Iraqi city since a U.S.-led airstrike coalition and Iraqi forces began pushing the militant group back last year.

"The situation in Ramadi is dire, but the city has not fallen and the battle against criminal Daesh is still ongoing," Anbar governor Sohaib al-Rawi said via Twitter on Friday, as reported by Reuters.

Ramadi is a large Iraqi city that was founded in the 1800 during the Ottoman Empire. The city sits in the western Anbar province that borders the country's capital of Baghdad.