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Security forces free areas near besieged town in western Iraq

Xinhua, September 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Iraqi security forces on Friday took full control of rural areas near the town of al-Baghdadi after four days of fierce clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants in the country's western province of Anbar, the Iraqi military said.

The troops and allied Sunni tribal fighters managed to flush out the militants from the Jazirat al-Baghdadi, an agricultural area near the town of al-Baghdadi, some 190 km northwest of the provincial capital city of Ramadi, the Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

The statement did not give further details about the battles, but said that dozens of IS militants were killed and many others fled their positions to the desert.

The operation in Anbar came after the Iraqi security forces and allied units reclaimed key cities and towns, including Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad.

IS militants have been repeatedly attacking al-Baghdadi and the nearby Haditha since 2014, which were stubbornly repelled by local police, government troops and Sunni tribal fighters.

The liberation of al-Baghdadi rural area was part of two operations launched on Tuesday by Iraqi forces against IS militants in the provinces of Salahudin and Anbar, just hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the launching of the operations in a televised message from New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly.

Iraqi security forces and allied units have been battling IS militants for retaking large territories in northern and western Iraq seized by the IS since June 2014. Endit