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Iraqi forces start operation to clear areas near Fallujah from IS militants

Xinhua, June 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

Iraqi security forces on Monday launched an operation to flush out Islamic State (IS) militants from rural areas near the city of Fallujah in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a military statement said.

Security forces and allied paramilitary units of Hashd Shaabi, backed by Iraqi aircraft, began in the morning an operation to drive out IS militants from the areas of Halabsa, Albu Alwan and Albu Eifan, west of Fallujah, some 50 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, according to a statement by Anbar's Operations Command.

The provincial command, which is responsible for the security in the province, said the operation is designed to push IS militants deeper into the desert north of the town of al-Khaldiyah, in addition to securing the main road between Fallujah and the provincial capital city of Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad.

The latest operation came a day after Iraq's Joint Operations Command declared that Fallujah was fully liberated from IS militants and that the troops and Hashd Shaabi units are conducting clearance operations in the newly-freed neighborhoods.

Security forces and Hashd Shaabi units will hand over Fallujah to local police within two days after they end the clearance operations in the city, a security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Also on Monday, Iraqi authorities reopened the municipality building and some other government offices for public services, as part of preparations to bring back the displaced families to their homes in Fallujah, the security source said.

The operation to free the IS stronghold in Fallujah was launched on May 23, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory on June 17 after security forces recaptured of the government compound in central Fallujah.

Government troops and allied militias have been fighting for months to reclaim key cities and towns in Anbar province from IS militants, who attempted to approach Baghdad after seizing most of the province.

Iraq has witnessed intense violence since the IS took control of parts of its northern and western regions in June 2014.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups such as the IS group on the United States, which invaded Iraq in March 2003 under the pretext of seeking to destroy weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the country. The war led to the ouster and eventual execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, but no WMD was found. Endit