Story highlights Operation pushed ISIS from their last known location in Iraq

The militant group once controlled more than 34,000 square miles of territory

(CNN) Iraqi forces have retaken the town of Rawa from ISIS, one of the militant group's last footholds in the country.

The Iraqi national flag was raised over Rawa around midday Friday, Iraq's Joint Operation Command (IJOC) said in a statement.

A spokesman for the command told CNN that engineers laid down a pontoon bridge across the Euphrates River around dawn to allow Iraqi forces to cross near the outskirts of the town.

Iraqi forces with @coalition support announce the liberation of #Rawa in #Anbar province, among the last populated areas in #Iraq held by #ISIS terrorists. Days of its phony "caliphate" are coming to an end. — Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) November 17, 2017

Located in Anbar province in the Euphrates valley, Rawa was the last known Iraqi town still held by ISIS militants. Recapturing it means ISIS has been defeated in all of the country's towns and cities, though pockets of resistance still exist and the group does control some territory in the deserts of western Iraq.

Haider Al-Abadi, the commander in chief of Iraq's armed forces, said in a statement the "liberation of Rawa district in mere hours reflects the great strength and power of our heroic armed forces and the successful planning for battles."