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Ramadi Devastation Revealed in New ICRC Footage

Aerial footage released by the International Committee of the Red Cross shows the extend of the devastation in Ramadi.
Image: Ramadi
This image made from aerial drone footage released by the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday, July 4, 2016 shows destruction in Ramadi, Iraq.AP

Ramadi has been reduced to rubble.

New aerial footage released by the International Committee of the Red Cross shows widespread devastation in the Iraqi city, which the organization called a "ghost town."

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces ran ISIS out of Ramadi in December. While the offensive was viewed as a victory, it left the once-bustling city which formerly was home to 1 million people largely uninhabitable.

The footage shows broken building after broken building, the destruction stretching off in the horizon. Soot streaks a battered hospital with holes in its walls, the building's innards scattered around.

Related: ISIS Ouster From Ramadi Comes at Devastating Cost to Iraqis

The ICRC said explosive "remnants of war are scattered across the city" and that most locals are too afraid to return home — adding that it will take "months, if not years" to make the city safe again.

"Many, many ordinary people are living in abject fear and terrifying uncertainty," ICRC President Peter Maurer said in a video message. "A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding. And make no mistake — the situation is getting worse for everyone.”