Iraqi forces launch offensive against IS in Anbar

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi forces on Tuesday began an operation to recapture the Islamic State’s (IS) last remaining stronghold in Anbar Province near the border with Syria, a military source said.

According to the source, Iraqi soldiers, Anbar provincial police, and Iranian-backed Shia militia Hashd al-Shaabi began advancing on the town of Anah in the morning.

Their progress was slowed down by booby-traps and mines planted by IS militants, the source told the BBC.

Anah, located 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the border with Syria, is one of three Iraqi towns in the Euphrates river valley still under the control of the extremist group.

The military source said Iraqi troops in Anah and the surrounding areas were being supported by the US-led coalition’s air strikes as well as military advisors on the ground.

The US-led Operation Inherent Resolve campaign against IS' spokesperson confirmed the information on Twitter on Tuesday. 

#Iraq launches offensive to #defeatDaesh in western Anbar. @CJTFOIR providing precision fires to pound @ISIS positions as #ISF advance. https://t.co/XVdTYQ3JiS

— OIR Spokesman (@OIRSpox) September 19, 2017

Following the campaign in Anah, Iraqi forces will reportedly launch an offensive in Rawa, 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) to the north, and then al-Qaim, the last town on the border with Syria.

Speaking to AFP, Lieutenant General Rashid Flaih, head of Anbar’s paramilitary units, said the operation in the three towns was meant “to bring the entire province of Anbar back into the fold of the nation.”

Reports last week suggested 8,000 militants and their families have moved to the valley, which stretches from Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria down to Rawa in Iraq’s western Anbar Province.

Among them are believed to be the group’s leaders, including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who might be hiding in the area, a hotbed for IS military commanders, weapons production experts, and external attacks plotters.

Iraqi forces are also preparing to launch an assault in the town of Hawija, west of Mosul.

Since its emergence and subsequent rise in mid-2014, IS has suffered heavy defeats in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

In July, after nine-months of battle, Iraqi forces defeated the militant group in Mosul, its de facto capital and last major stronghold in the country.

Meanwhile, a US-backed, Kurdish-led offensive is ongoing in Syria where the extremists continue to lose territory.

Editing by G.H. Renaud