Iraqi forces retook territory from Daesh group east of Ramadi Saturday, in their first counterattack since the fall of the Anbar provincial capital a week ago, commanders said.

The offensive targeted the sprawling Euphrates Valley town of Husyabah, an essential stepping stone for any assault on Ramadi.

"Military operations to liberate Husaybah, seven kilometres (4.5 miles) east of Ramadi, have begun," a police colonel told AFP from the front.