Iraqi forces kill dozens of Takfiris in Ramadi

Iraqi forces have made fresh advances in their operations against Daesh militants in the western province of Anbar, killing dozens of the Takfiris.

Iraq’s Defense Ministry announced Saturday that army forces and volunteer fighters have managed to advance near the provincial capital of Ramadi, retaking positions from the militants in the Khamsa Kilo district.

The statement said more than 80 Daesh militants were killed in the operation by allied forces on the outskirts of Ramadi and Fallujah, another town which is mostly controlled by the Takfiri group.

Iraq’s al-Baghdadiyah TV channel said that most of those militants were killed in an army shelling of Assettin and al-Mala’b neighborhoods in Ramadi.

Meanwhile, US military officials have revised their previous statements on the inability of the Iraqi army to retake Anbar, with a US Central Command spokesman saying Saturday that he is confident the pro-government forces are close to recapturing the province.

Air Force Colonel Pat Ryder said Iraqi forces were making progress in the fourth week of their operation against Daesh, describing their job as “tough” and “dangerous.”

Daesh captured Ramadi nearly three months ago. US officials blamed the seizure on the lack of sufficient contribution from the Iraqi troops to counter the progress of the Takfiri group. Iraq has dismissed the accusation.

Pro-government forces have already managed to push back Daesh from some key cities and towns, including Tikrit, which was completely purged of militants in late March. The allied forces are planning to retake Anbar before they start their long-anticipated drive toward Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, which itself fell into the hands of Daesh last year.

Gruesome violence has plagued various parts of Iraq ever since Daesh launched an offensive in June 2014, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory. 

Several killed in Baghdad blast 

Elsewhere in Iraq, an explosion ripped through a gathering of people at market in northern Baghdad, killing at least 11 people.

Iraqi officials said on Saturday that the car bombing, which targeted the Sadr City, also left 68 people injured.

There has yet been no claim of responsibility for the attack, but it bears the hallmarks of those carried out by the Daesh Takfiris.

The blast came few days after a huge truck bomb rocked another popular market in Baghdad’s Sadr City, killing at least 62 people. The terrorist group, Daesh, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

Last month, the militant group targeted a popular market in the eastern province of Diyala, killing more than 115 people in one of the worst-single attacks to tear through the country in a decade. 

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