By Stephen Kalin

BAGHDAD: Islamic State militants leftRamadi's streets and buildings boobytrapped with bombshampering efforts to rebuild the city two weeks after Iraq'selite counter-terrorism forces claimed victory against themilitant group there officials said.

Ramadi the capital of Anbar province was touted as thefirst major success for Iraq's army since it collapsed in theface of Islamic State's lightning advance across the country'snorth and west 18 months ago.

The militants have been pushed to Ramadi's eastern suburbsbut almost all of the city which was battered by U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State remains off-limits to its nearlyhalf a million displaced residents most of whom fled before thearmy advance.

"Most areas are now under the security forces' control"Anbar governor Sohaib al-Rawi said on Saturday at a temporarygovernment complex southeast of the city.

"Most of the streets in Ramadi are mined with explosives soit requires large efforts and expertise" he said.

Specialised bomb disposal teams from the police and civildefence force would begin work "soon" he said.

The counter-terrorism forces which spearheaded the city'srecapture are securing only main streets and tacticallyimportant buildings security sources said.

They have built up earth banks at the entrance of centralneighbourhoods deemed clear of militants but still laden withexplosives and marked buildings' exteriors as "mined" thesources added.

Snipers have also slowed progress. Iraqi forces clear themby calling in devastating airstrikes - more than 55 in the pasttwo weeks according to the coalition.

On Saturday they routed militants from the Mal'abneighbourhood adding the last major district in Ramadi's citycentre to their control said commander Lieutenant General AbdulGhani al-Assadi.

Iraqi forces withdrew from Ramadi in May last year allowingIslamic State to take control the group's biggest gain sincesweeping across the Syrian border a year earlier and declaringit was establishing a caliphate.

Islamic State fighters are still holed up in a roughly 10kilometre (6 mile) stretch east towards Husaiba al-Sharqiyausing agricultural lands to evade detection security sourcessaid. It could take at least 10 days to clear those areas.

Path of destruction

Hundreds of airstrikes since July combined with IslamicState sabotage have reduced much of Ramadi to rubble.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is stillwaiting for the green light from the Iraqi government to enterthe city and start work to rebuild it the residentrepresentative for the organisation in Iraq Lise Grande said.

UNDP has prepared 100 generators and mobile electrical gridsto provide a temporary power grid as soon as that happens. Anassessment of the damage to the rest of Ramadi's infrastructurewill dictate other areas of focus.

The city will require around $20 million immediately foremergency humanitarian response and billions more for long-termreconstruction said Grande.

"Restoring infrastructure is hugely important but thedecisive factor in getting people to return is when they thinksecurity is in place" she said.

After Ramadi there remains the bigger challenge of Mosul400 km (250 miles) north of Baghdad. As many as 3200 IslamicState fighters are there more than three times the number thatheld Ramadi according to the coalition.

It is also more densely populated. Most of Mosul's pre-2014population of about two million have not left.

The destruction in Ramadi has sparked criticism includingfrom powerful Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias which were keptout of the battle for fear of stirring sectarian tensions inAnbar's Sunni heartland.

Despite accusations of human rights abuses groups likeAsaib Ahl al-Haq claim they have could have retaken Ramadi more"neatly".

Reuters