Iraqi army makes fresh gains in Anbar Province

The Iraqi army, backed by volunteer forces, has managed to liberate more areas in the western province of Anbar as it continues its battle against Takfiri ISIL terrorists.

Following an intense three-day battle with the terrorists, Iraqi military forces recaptured the Nadhem Sarsar district in Anbar Province on Tuesday, the Iraqi al-Forat news agency reported.

This comes as Iraqi forces are preparing to launch a major operation against the ISIL terrorists in the eastern province of Diyala and the holy city of Samarra in Salahuddin Province.

According to Press TV’s correspondent in Iraq, Iraqi officials say they are determined to stop the terrorists from committing more crimes against civilians there.

Various advanced weapons, tanks and reinforcements have been sent to the frontlines to launch the liberation operations.

“The operations that are now taking place in Salahuddin and Diyala affect Anbar… Cleansing ISIL pockets in Diyala, Tikrit and Kirkuk as well as deserted areas near Anbar will affect the operations in Anbar,” political analyst Adnan al-Sarraj told Press TV, adding that the new gains secure the liberated areas for the return of displaced families.

“There is a plan now to cleanse the provinces of Diyala and Salahuddin completely from terrorists in order to prepare for the return of the displaced citizens. Now the mission of Popular Mobilization and Iraqi forces is to secure the towns and cities,” Karim a-Nuri, the spokesman of the volunteer Popular Mobilization units said.

Meanwhile, the commander of the Tikrit operations lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Zaidi announced on Monday that more than 8,000 displaced families have returned to their homes in the liberated areas in Diyala in the past few months.

He also stressed that enough special forces have been positioned in recently-recaptured areas to secure the residential neighborhoods.

Some political analysts believe scattered terrorist attacks in recaptured cities are aimed at frightening the people and creating the illusion that the militants are still present there.

The Iraqi army and the volunteer forces have recently gained more ground in their fight against the terrorists after purging them from the northern city of Tikrit.

The army is now aiming to dislodge the terrorists from Anbar Province before waging a final battle against ISIL in its major stronghold in the city of Mosul, north of Iraq.

The ISIL terrorists currently control parts of Syria and Iraq. They have been committing heinous crimes in the captured areas, including mass executions and beheading of local residents as well as foreign nationals.

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