Iraqi forces intensify presence near borders with Syria

Over 300 Islamic State militants have been declared to be killed as the Hawija Operations Command announced accomplishing targets of the second phase of operations. “Federal Police, the rapid Response forces, the third and fourth brigades of al-Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Forces] accomplished its targets of the second phase of operations in Hawija,” Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of Hawija Operations, said in a statement on Saturday.
In another statement by the Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell, Yarallah said, “troops killed 385 IS members, including five snipers, and arrested six others. 95 booby-trapped vehicles and 422 explosives were defused. 20 rest houses were destroyed. 150 villages in Hawija were freed, in addition to al-Abbassi region and the northern side of Hawija, the statement said. Huge amounts of weapons were found, 10 tunnels and five telecommunications centers were destroyed. 240 civilians were evacuated.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared on Thursday liberation of Hawija. The second phase of the offensive was launched in late September. According to Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell, 557 IS militants were killed, while more than 100 villages and regions were liberated during the first phase, which launched on September 24th. Having recaptured Hawija, Iraqi troops still have only western Anbar’s towns of Rawa and Qaim remain under the militant’s control.
The pro-government paramilitary troops have seized several mass graves containing relics of civilians and security personnel in southwest of Kirkuk.
The media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) said in a statement on Saturday, “troops ran into ten mass graves containing relics of security personnel and civilians who were executed by Islamic State in southwest of Hawija.”
The troops, according to the statement, “coordinate with specialized teams to check the relics and identify them.” Some of the relics were for women and children, he added. On Thursday, PMFs said two other mass graves were found containing relics of security personnel and civilians in Hawija. Troops recently ran into three mass graves at the villages of Abu Sakhra and al-Therban, also southwest of Hawija, as operations proceeded to clear the town.
The United Nations said last week that nearly 78,000 people could still be trapped in their homes. Late September, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and the Joint Operations Command announced beginning of the second phase of Hawija offensive. According to Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell, 557 IS militants were killed, while more than 100 villages and regions were liberated during the first phase, which launched on September 24th.
In the same context, Iraqi joint troops are working on preparations to launch wide-scale operations to retake Islamic State-held regions in western Anbar, an official said.
“Security forces are in preparations to carry out wide-scale offensive to recapture Rawa town, west of Anbar,” Rajei Barakat al-Eissawi, member of the security committee of Anbar provincial council, said in press remarks on Friday.
Preparations, according to Eissawi, are ongoing simultaneously with “heavy shelling by Iraqi jets against IS strongholds amid news on killing of tens of IS militants, including suicide attackers and foreigners.”
“The army’s artillery heavily bombarded IS holdouts in the targeted regions,” Eissawi said adding that “security troops, backed by army jets, are working on plan to cut off supplies to the militants.”
Anbar’s western towns of Qaim and Rawa have been held by the extremist group since 2014, when it occupied one third of Iraq to proclaim a self-styled Islamic “Caliphate”. Iraqi troops were able to return life back to normal in the biggest cities of Anbar including Fallujah, Ramadi and others after recapturing them in 2015 and 2016.
Iraqi army announced the total recapture of the town of Annah, hours after recapturing neighboring Rayhana area, earlier this month. Troops also liberated Akashat region, between Rutba town, on borders with Jordan, and Qaim, on borders with Syria. Five militants were reportedly killed in shelling by the U.S.-led Coalition jets against Qaim.