Thursday, March 28, 2024

Baghdad

Five IS militants killed by army, coalition airstrikes, south of Anbar

 Five IS militants killed by army, coalition airstrikes, south of Anbar

Iraqi security forces. Archival photo.

Iraqi security forces. Archival photo.
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Five Islamic State members were killed east of al-Razaza lake, south of Anbar province, a military source from Anbar Operations Command said on Sunday.

“Army troops in coordination with international coalition jets attacked the al-Abar region, east of al-Razaza, south of the province,” the source told AlSumaria News.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said “troops, with support from coalition jets, killed five Islamic State militants.”

Anbar’s western towns of Annah, Qaim and Rawa have been held by the extremist group since 2014, when it emerged to proclaim a self-styled Islamic Caliphate.

Fighter jets from the Iraqi army and the international coalition have regularly pounded IS locations in the province. The Iraqi government plans a military operation to liberate those regions once it finishes its almost eight-month-old campaign to retake the city of Mosul, Islamic State’s largest stronghold in Iraq.

In April, Qutri al-Obeidi, a leader with the paramilitary al-Hashd al-Shaabi troops said IS members were evacuated from Rawa town towards Qaim after the leaders ordered the fighters, along with their families, to leave due to intensified airstrikes.

Earlier in March, reports indicated possible joint operations by the Iraqi and U.S. forces to clear the three towns located near the borders with Syria.

Leave a Reply