Iraqi troops managed to restore control on Qaim district

Iraqi forces invaded Friday the center of the Islamic State-held town of Qaim, west of Anbar, becoming closer to eliminating the militants from their last havens in Iraq.

A military source told Alsumaria News that Counter-Terrorism Service forces and Tribal Mobilization troops invaded Gaza neighborhood (350 kilometers south of central Qaim). “The entry of the forces came after they had killed a number of Daesh (Islamic State) elements bunkered inside, and destroyed rest houses (belonging to the militants)”.

The media service of the Popular Mobilization Forces, which support Iraqi troops in their operations, said hours earlier that Islamic State militants burned houses in Gaza neighborhood to create a smoke screen as army warplanes and PMF artillery bombarded central Qaim.

Earlier on Friday, commander of Anbar Operations, Abdul-amir Yarallah, said in a statement that “army, Counter-Terrorism Service, Popular Mobilization Forces and Tribal Mobilization invaded Saada, Karableh and Husaiba in Qaim”. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared late October the launch of operations to clear the towns of Rawa and Qaim, Islamic State’s last havens on the borders with Syria.

Since Islamic State militants took over large areas of Iraq and Syria to establish a self-styled “caliphate” in 2014, Iraqi government forces, backed paramilitary troops and U.S.-led coalition, launched a wide-scale campaign to retake those regions.

So far, the offensives managed to retake Mosul, the group’s former capital, the town of Tal Afar, west of Nineveh, Kirkuk’s town of Hawija and Anbar’s Annah. Local authorities and human rights agencies believe Islamic State members are holding tens of thousands of civilians in their western Anbar havens as future human shields, having killed hundreds for attempting to escape.

On his hand, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has announced liberation of Islamic State’s bastion in western Anbar in record time. “The commander in-chief of armed forces Haidar al-Abadi congratulates Iraqis on liberation of Qaim in record time,” a brief statement by Abadi’s office said on Friday.

Congratulations made by Abadi came after the Joint Operations Command’s War Media Cell announced retaking Qaim earlier on Friday. Iraqi troops invaded, early today, the center of Qaim and other districts. Abadi promised on Tuesday announcing liberation of Qaim within “few days”.

Many IS militants reportedly fled Qaim heading to al-BuKamal in Syria, after several leaders ran away and were killed in airstrikes by the Iraqi and U.S.-Coalition jets. Operations were launched, late October, to liberate Qaim and Rawa towns.

Each 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”. Islamic State members are believed to be holding tens of thousands of civilians in their western Anbar havens as future human shields, having killed hundreds for attempting to escape.

Iraqi forces have managed, so far, to retake Mosul, the group’s former capital, the town of Tal Afar, west of Nineveh, Kirkuk’s town of Hawija and Anbar’s Annah.

On the other hand, A senior paramilitary official has ruled out possibilities that Iraqi federal troops attack the kurdish Peshmerga at the disputed regions in Nineveh and Kirkuk. Speaking to reporters in Nineveh on Friday, Hadi al-Ameri, secretary-general of Badr Organization said, “Iraqi security services have no intentions to attack the Kurdish brothers.”

“We don’t seek fighting the Kurds. They are our people. Brothers in Erbil should be aware of this and order withdrawal of Peshmerga to the administrative borders of Nineveh,” he added. “We hope that security prevails at these regions [disputes areas in Nineveh] in an easy way like what happened in Kirkuk,” Ameria said.

Badr Organization is a major component of the Popular Mobilization Forces, the Shia-led alliance of paramilitary troops fighting Islamic State militants alongside the Iraqi government. PMF sources say Ameri, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhanids, deputy chief of the PMF, lead a huge attack last week in disputed regions in west of Duhuq, however, Peshmerga managed to repulse the attack.

On Thursday, two Iraqi and Kurdish military delegations have convened in Mosul for talks over Iraqi troops deployment at disputed regions between Erbil and Baghdad. News circulated, earlier on the day, said Iraqi troops have been on high alerts in west of Mosul, after Erbil was declared to have stepped back from an agreement between with Baghdad.

This came after Kurdistan Regional Government had proposed joint Iraqi-Kurdish deployment at Khabur strategic border crossing between the region and Turkey, with participation of observers from the U.S.-led Coalition. Since Kurdistan held its independence referendum on September 25, Baghdad had declared intentions to retake areas disputed on with Erbil.

Iraqi government forces approached the southern borders of Erbil, capital of semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, after taking over Kirkuk province from Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in October, fulfilling instructions made by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to retake those regions.