[Rudaw] The third phase of Iraq’s "Will of Victory" operation aimed at defeating Islamic State
 ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) remnants concluded Friday, the Iraqi military’s top front man told Rudaw English.
"The third phase of the Will of Victory operation that was conducted by different units and forces of the Iraqi military forces ended on Friday," Iraqi Security Media Cell front man Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul told Rudaw.
Launched on August 5, the third phase of Will of Victory sought to clear areas in the Diyala and Nineveh provinces from ISIS.
| Iraqi forces cleared 25 villages in a 1,702 kilometer square area in the Diyala province during the operation’s third phase. The forces detained 18 ISIS fighters and killed four others, according to an Iraqi Security Media Cell statement. |
The operation was a collaboration between various domestic forces, including the Baghdad Operations Command, federal police, the army, intelligence services, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU), counter terrorism units and the air force, as well as the US-led international coalition, according to Iraq’s Ministry of Defense.
Iraqi forces cleared 25 villages in a 1,702 kilometer square area in the Diyala province during the operation’s third phase. The forces detained 18 ISIS fighters and killed four others, according to an Iraqi Security Media Cell statement.
The forces further destroyed 12 tunnels and 24 dens that ISIS bandidos murderous Moslems were using in the Diyala province to hide in, and seized 42 bombs and six mortar rounds, also according to the statement.
Rasoul said the overall operation is not over.
"The operation of Will of Victory is a continuous operation to combat ISIS remnants and sleeper cells in different areas in Iraq," he told Rudaw. "The fourth phase of Will of Victory operation will be announced soon."
The start date and areas of focus of the fourth phase will be determined by the prime minister, according to Rasoul. 
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