Twelve Islamic State militants killed in Anbar security offensive
Dead bodies of Islamic State militants (representational photo)
“Security forces and backing forces staged a security campaign that targeted Daesh (Islamic State) passageways that link desert areas east of Annah, west of Anbar, with Mosul,” Ikhnews reported, quoting Abdullah al-Jugheifi, a senior leader at al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) in the province.
Jugheifi said the assault came following the escape of dozens of Islamic State members from Mosul to Syria via those routes.
Deaths among militants include two suicide attackers, two of them were foreigners, he said, adding that three vehicles belonging to the extremist group were destroyed in the offensive.
Islamic State have been holding a handful of towns in western Anbar since the group took over several Iraqi cities in 2014. No official campaigns have been declared yet to retake those areas as the government invests most of its troops power in retaking Mosul, the group’s biggest stronghold in Iraq.
Anbar’s security command, backed by tribal troops, launched early January a brief onslaught against the Islamic State in western Anbar. The campaign, which, unlike that in Mosul, was not officially declared by the cabinet, managed to retake a few villages before halting again.