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.
Iraq forces assault Daesh in Anbar
Iraq forces assault Daesh in Anbar
Second drone in 24 hours found crashed in northwest Turkiye
- The authorities have pointed the finger at Russia for an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered on Friday near the city of Izmit
ISTANBUL: A drone of unknown origin has been found in Turkiye, less than a day after another unmanned aerial vehicle of suspected Russian origin crashed in the northwest, Turkish media reported on Saturday.
According to several independent television networks and the Cumhuriyet newspaper, the drone was found in an empty field near the town of Balikesir, some three hours southwest of Istanbul.
The Turkish authorities had yet to react to the news, but the Halk TV and Haberturk broadcasters reported that the drone was transported to Ankara for analysis.
Citing farmers, several media outlets reported that the crash appeared to have taken place days ago.
The incident, the third of its kind since Monday, comes after Turkiye warned both Russia and Ukraine against letting their ongoing war spill over elsewhere in the region.
The authorities have pointed the finger at Russia for an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered on Friday near the city of Izmit, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of the Black Sea, which has seen strikes on ships in recent weeks.
According to the Turkish interior ministry, which has opened an investigation, the drone “is believed to be of Russian-made Orlan-10 type used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes according to initial findings.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against the Black Sea becoming an “area of confrontation” between Russia and Ukraine, which occupy the opposite shores of the body of water to Turkiye.
