Iraqi paramilitary fighters kill two Islamic State terrorists in Anbar

Anbar (IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi paramilitary group said on Saturday that its fighters killed two Islamic State terrorists as part of an ongoing military operation in Anbar province.

“Troops of the 13th and 18th brigades of the Popular Mobilization Forces clashed with militants of the Islamic State group in al-Qaem district, west of Anbar, leaving two terrorists killed,” the state-sponsored umbrella organization said in a press statement.

The PMF fighters will continue to track down on Islamic State remnants in Anbar province within the framework of the fourth phase of the military operation dubbed “Will of Victory,” the statement read.

The Will of Victory Operation’s first phase had been launched in July, targeting IS elements in western regions.

According to the Iraqi military, 13 villages were cleared in areas south of Nineveh during the operation’s third phase.

Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in Iraq in November 2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.

In November, Iraqi forces recaptured Anbar’s western town of Rawa, the last Islamic State entrenchment in Iraq.