Iraqi militias kill 3 ISIS Turbans near al-Okashat region
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Paramilitary forces killed three Islamic State members during an overnight offensive in the western area of Anbar as preparations continue for an operation against the group’s havens in the province.
Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said through its media on Monday that the troops killed three Islamic State militants during an encounter at al-Okashat region.
Those killed included two Syrian nationals: Omar (Abu Khattab) al-Yasouf and Abbas (Abu Hamza) Moussa.
The operation comes as preparations proceed for an offensive targeting IS havens in western Anbar held since the group emerged in 2014.
Ghassan al-Eithawi, a spokesperson for tribal groups fighting the Islamic State in Anbar, was quoted saying that tribal forces were building up for an operation targeting IS strongholds in the towns of Annah, Rawa and Qaim.
Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition fighter jets have regularly pounded those locations, killing dozens of militants. It is widely expected that the Iraqi government will launch a major security offensive in Anbar once it is done with the campaign to drive out IS from Mosul, the group’s principal stronghold in Iraq.
Islamic State members reportedly killed and wounded 30 Iraqi security members in an ambush near al-Rutba region, west of Anbar, on Sunday.
Iraqi militias break even in combat casualties with ISIS troops with 2 dead
Rutba (IraqiNews.com) Sunni tribal forces fighting the Islamic State said Monday they killed two group members while losing two of their members in western Anbar on Monday.
Shaker al-Rishawi, a senior commander of the Tribal Mobilization forces in Anbar, said two tribal fighters and two Islamic State militants died, while two militants of Arab nationalities were arrested during an encounter at the “25th kilometer” region, west of the Rutba region, west of Anbar.
Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition fighter jets have regularly pounded locations held by the Islamic State at the stronghold towns of Annah, Qaim and Rawa, killing dozens of militants. Thousands of civilians are thought to be held in Islamic State captivity at those locations. It is widely expected that the Iraqi government will launch a major security offensive in Anbar once it is done with the campaign to drive out IS from Mosul, the group’s principal stronghold in Iraq.
Islamic State members reportedly killed and wounded 30 Iraqi security members in an ambush near al-Rutba on Sunday.
Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said through its media earlier on Monday that the troops killed three Islamic State militants during an encounter at al-Okashat region. Those killed included two Syrian nationals, according to PMU media.
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10 Iraqi soldiers die in convoy ambush
BAGHDAD: Militants in Iraq ambushed a convoy of off-duty soldiers near a town in the country’s sprawling western desert, killing at least 10 and wounding 20, officials said on Monday.
Iraqi Maj. Emad Al-Dulaimi said the attack took place the night before near the town of Rutba. The militants were armed with assault rifles and rockets. Al-Dulaimi said he blamed Daesh.
Daesh later in the day took responsibility for the attack. A statement on the Daesh-affiliated Aamaq news agency claimed 18 were killed in the ambush, including two officers.
Daesh has carried out many similar attacks targeting Iraqi forces in the past months to detract from the ongoing battle between Iraqi forces and Daesh militants in Mosul.
Rutba lies about 390 kilometers west of Baghdad in the country’s vast Anbar province. It’s the last sizable town on the way to the border with Jordan.
Iraqi forces launched a wide-scale military operation last October to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city from Daesh militants. The eastern half of the city, separated in two by the Tigris River, was declared completely free of IS in January and now Iraqi forces are fighting to rout IS from all of the western, more densely populated half of the city.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said last week that 493,000 people have been displaced from the city and that as many as 500,000 others remain in IS-controlled parts of western Mosul.