Iraqi forces backed by factions of the tribal crowd on Wednesday resumed operations to regain control of a district in Anbar province in the west of the country, but the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are hampering their move to expel the 'aDash organization from its stronghold near the border with Syria.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi met on Wednesday with the Secretary General of Badr Organization Hadi al-Amiri and the deputy chairman of the popular Mobilization Forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis to discuss the preparations for the liberation of land from the control of ISIS extremist group.
More than twenty Islamic State militants were killed within offensives launched in the group’s holdout in western Anbar, military media reported on Tuesday. In a press release, the War Media Cell said on Tuesday that “the most important outcome of liberation of al-Rayhana and Annah was the murder of twenty-two militants as well as destruction of weapon stash and four booby-trapped vehicles.”
Iraqi government troops and paramilitary forces managed Tuesday to recapture Rayhana region as part of an operation, launched earlier on the day, targeting the region as well as Annah town, in western Anbar. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi promised “new victory”, earlier on the day, as he declared the launch of an operation to clear Islamic State havens in western Anbar, starting with the town of Annah.
On Saturday, Iraqi joint troops liberated Akashat region, between Rutba town, on borders with Jordan, and Qaim, on borders with Syria. Anbar’s western towns of Annah, Qaim and Rawa are still held by the extremist group since 2014, when it occupied one third of Iraq to proclaim a self-styled Islamic Caliphate. Iraqi troops were able to return life back to normal in the biggest cities of Anbar including Fallujah, Ramadi and others after recapturing them. Fighter jets from the Iraqi army and the international coalition regularly pound IS locations in the province.
In Kirkuk, A civilian was killed in a blast as a bomb, planted by Islamic State, exploded in south of Kirkuk, a security source was quoted saying. “A bomb from IS remnants exploded while a civilian on board of his bike was passing at a village in Daquq, south of Kirkuk, which caused his immediate death,” the source told AlSumaria News on Tuesday.
The source, who preferred anonymity, added that the blast spot was cordoned by security, while the victim’s body was taken to forensic medicine department. Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
A monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which excludes security members deaths, said 297 Iraqis, were killed and injured due to violence and armed conflicts during the month of ِAugust. Baghdad was the most affected province with 45 deaths and 135 injuries.
The capital has seen almost daily bombings and armed attacks against security members, paramilitary groups and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016. While most of of the explosions and attacks went without a claim of responsibility, Islamic State has claimed several incidents. Despite the group’s defeat in its main havens across Iraqi provinces, observers believe the group may still constitute a security threat.