Iraqi forces launch assault for last Daesh bastions in Anbar

The Joint Operations Command, which is coordinating Iraqi security forces battling the terror group, said an offensive had begun to retake the town of Anna and the nearby village of Al-Rayhanna, Reuters wrote.

“Infantry units and armor backed by the Hashd al-Shaabi began an offensive to liberate Anna and Al-Rayhanna from Daesh terrorists,” JOC head General Abdelamir Yarallah said in a statement.

A general in the area said the operation was “developing along three axes” involving the army, police and the Hashd al-Shaabi, a paramilitary force composed largely of Shia militias.

The operation was supported by Iraqi Army helicopters and warplanes from the US-led coalition battling Daesh in Iraq and Syria, the general said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The head of Anna’s municipal council, Abdel Karim al-Ani, confirmed the start of the offensive and said security forces had opened a road out of the town to allow civilians to flee.

Anna, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of the border with Syria, is one of three towns in Anbar Province under Daesh control.

After retaking the town, Iraqi forces are expected to next target Rawa to the northwest and finally Al-Qaim, which is close to the border with the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor.

Three years after Daesh took control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, Iraqi forces are pushing to retake all areas seized by the terrorists, scoring their biggest victory in July with the recapture of second city Mosul.