Iraqi army launched military campaign against Islamic State terror cells in Anbar

The Iraqi army on Sunday announced that it had launched a military campaign to pursue Daesh cells in the desert of Anbar governorate, which borders Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The commander of Anbar Operations, Major General Nasser Al-Ghanem, said in a statement that the military campaign was launched with the participation of army troops, police forces and the Tribal Mobilisation militia who are a group of Sunni fighters who are loyal to the government.

Al-Ghanem added that the operation aims to “pursue Daesh fighters in the depths of Ar-Rutbah desert in Anbar, backed by the Iraqi Air Force.”

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior said that its forces “have arrested two wanted persons suspected of belonging to dormant Daesh cells in Kirkuk governorate.”

“During the initial investigations, they confessed to providing information to Daesh gangs about the names, locations, and movements of the security services which necessitated the initiation of legal procedures against them,” the ministry added in a statement.

Since the start of the year, Iraq has intensified combing operations and raids in pursuit of Daesh cells as attacks by Daesh cells have increased. The oil-rich state declared victory over Daesh in December 2017, however dormant cells continued to operate in the country.

Source: MEM