Iraq forces assault Daesh in Anbar

BAGHDAD: Iraqi troops and Shiite militia forces attacked Daesh fighters on several fronts in the country’s largest province on Monday, saying the battle to drive the hard-line militants out of Anbar was under way.

A spokesman for the joint operations command said the offensive, which began at dawn, brought together the army, mainly Shiite Hashid Shaabi militias, special forces, police and local Sunni tribal fighters.
Military sources in Anbar said they met fierce resistance from the insurgents, who deployed five suicide car bombs and fired rockets to repel their advance on the city of Fallujah, about 50 km west of Baghdad.
There were also reports of fighting around the provincial capital Ramadi, captured by Daesh two months ago.
“At 5 o’clock this morning operations to liberate Anbar were launched,” the military spokesman said.
Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, angered at the army’s withdrawal from Ramadi in mid-May, initially promised a swift counter-attack.
A US-led coalition of Western and Arab air forces has been bombing Daesh positions across Iraq, supporting Baghdad’s ground forces and its poorly equipped air force.
On Monday, a first batch of four F-16s landed at Balad air base north of Baghdad, an Iraqi air force officer said.
It was not clear whether the planes would take an immediate role in the operations in Anbar.
Hadi Al-Ameri, commander of the largest Shiite force, the Badr Organization, told Iraqi television on Sunday he expected the main assault on Fallujah to take place after the Eid holiday which starts later this week.
Residents in Fallujah and Ramadi reported heavy bombardment of both cities early on Monday.
In Baghdad on Sunday at least 35 people were killed in a series of car bombs and suicide attacks in mainly Shiite districts. A statement in the name of Daesh, issued on Monday, claimed responsibility for some of the blasts.