Iraqi forces intensify their presence in Anbar

A security source in Anbar announced on Thursday that the security forces deployed extensively in Heat after hearing the sound of explosions, while the Kurdistan Regional Government revealed on Wednesday its acceptance to negotiate with the Iraqi government to send observers to civilian airports in Kurdistan.

Twenty Islamic State militants were killed in air raids launched by the anti-IS international coalition airstrikes in Ramadi, west of Anbar, a commander said. “The U.S.-led coalition jets shelled IS militants gathering in western Ramadi desert,” Major General Mahmoud al-Falahi, commander of Anbar Operations, told AlSumaria News on Thursday.

“The shelling left twenty IS militants killed,” he added. Ramadi was recaptured by government and tribal forces from IS in December 2015, however, several occasional attacks by the group have occurred since then.

Early on Wednesday, the militant group invaded al-Tash and the 5th Kilometer regions, south and west of Ramadi. The militants reportedly took over al-Tash and al-Jamea (university) areas after invading them with 20 pickup trucks. 40 IS militants were killed, while three injured others were wounded, Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, spokesperson of Baghdad Operations said in a weekly press conference on Thursday.

Anbar’s western towns 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”. Iraqi troops managed to retake Annah town and Akashat region last week and are currently preparing for another offensive to retake Rawa. Another offensive is taking place to recapture Hawija, the group’s stronghold in southwestern Kirkuk.

The pro-government paramilitary troops have found a mass grave containing relics of Islamic State militants near Tal Afar town, west of Mosul. “While troops were combing the center and outskirts of Tal Afar, an IS mass grave was found near the military district in the town,” Cap. Moussa Ali Joulak, an officer with al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

“The grave includes relics of 40 members, most of whom were women and foreign militants,” he added. “Some gravestones had foreign letters similar to Latin not English. Maybe they indicate names of Russian and Chechen murdered ones.” The gravestones, according to Joulak, show that their death was in the beginning and mid this year, most probably in airstrikes not during liberation offensives of Tal Afar.

Iraqi troops were able to liberate Tal Afar on August 31. PM Haidar al-Abadi announced in a televised speech on August 20 the beginning of operations to recapture the town, which has been held by the militants since 2014, when the extremist group first emerged to proclaim its self-styled ‘caliphate’. This came after 40 days of declaring victory in Mosul, the group’s former capital, where operations lasted between October to July.

On the other hand, Almost 93 percent of Iraq’s Kurds voted to create an independent state, the High Elections and Referendum Commission said on Wednesday, in a referendum that has angered the Baghdad government and regional powers Turkey and Iran.

Voters were asked to say “yes” or “no” to the question: “Do you want the Kurdistan Region and Kurdistani areas outside the (Kurdistan) Region to become an independent country?” More than 72 percent of eligible voters, or 3.3 million people, cast a ballot, with 92.73 percent of valid votes in favour of “yes” and 7.27 percent in favour of “no.”