Iraqi forces seize village in one of last Daesh bastions Three killed as suicide bombers target restaurant
AL-SAGRA: Iraqi security forces and paramilitary units have seized a village in one of the last pockets of territory controlled by Daesh in the vast western province of Anbar, bordering Syria.
“Our forces have taken the whole of Al-Rayhanna village, attacking from three directions, and have killed seven terrorists,” an Iraqi colonel said.
Some Daesh terrorists had fled toward the town of Anna, ”8 km to the west, which is our next objective,” he said.
The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight against Daesh in Iraq said infantry and armored units backed by the Hashed Al-Shaabi paramilitary alliance launched the assault at dawn to retake Al-Rayhanna and the nearby town of Anna.
The operation was supported by Iraqi army helicopters and warplanes from the US-led coalition battling Daesh in Iraq and Syria, a general in the area said.
The head of Anna’s municipal council, Abdel Karim Al-Ani, confirmed Iraqi forces had taken control of Al-Rayhanna and raised the Iraqi flag on public buildings.
The colonel said coalition aircraft had destroyed a suicide car bomb driven by a terrorist who was trying to reach security forces to detonate the vehicle.
Anna, about 100 km east of the border with Syria, is one of three towns in Anbar province still under Daesh control.
After retaking the town, Iraqi forces are expected to target Rawa to the northwest and finally Al-Qaim, which is close to the border with the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor.
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.
Iraq is preparing to launch an assault against another of Daesh’s remaining strongholds, the town of Hawija about 300 km north of Baghdad.
New bombings
Security sources said two suicide bombers killed at least three people and wounded 34 on Tuesday in a northern Iraq restaurant frequented by Hashed Al-Shaabi members.
The bombers struck in the town of Hajjaj, in Salaheddin province between the cities of Tikrit and Baiji.
“Two attackers detonated their explosive belts in a restaurant in Hajjaj, killing three people and wounding 34,” Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan said in a statement.
“A third assailant was shot dead by the security forces.”
A police lieutenant colonel said the restaurant was frequented by members of the Hashed Al-Shaabi.
There was no immediate claim Tuesday’s bombings.
The bombings came just five days after a gun and bomb attack on a restaurant and nearby checkpoint in southern Iraq killed 84 people, the deadliest assault claimed by the terrorists since their defeat in second city Mosul in July.
Last Thursday’s attack in the southern city of Nasiriyah was swiftly claimed by Daesh terrorists. for