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Iraqi forces kill 54 Daesh militants in Anbar

Saturday, 26 December 2015 2:00 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 26 December 2015 2:33 AM ]

Iraqi forces drive a tank south of the Anbar provincial capital Ramadi on December 25, 2015, battling the last Daesh militants holed up in the center of the city. (AFP)

The Iraqi army says it has killed 54 militants of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group during its ongoing anti-terror operations in areas south of Fallujah in the restive province of Anbar.

Baghdad Operations Command Spokesman Brigadier Saad Mo’en said on Friday that the Iraqi troops killed 33 Daesh Takfiris in Nuaimiya area located some five kilometers south of the city, Arabic-language al-Sumeria news website reported, adding that eight of their hideouts were also destroyed and at least 45 improvised explosive devices were dismantled.

During the cleansing operation, 14 other terrorists were also killed in Ma’ameer and al-Irawaiya areas, and 27 roadside bombs and four booby-trapped houses were also dismantled, he went on to say.

The army also killed seven Takfiris, deactivated 13 improvised explosive devices, and destroyed two military vehicles in the al-Tikriti and al-Anaz Bridge areas.

*Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance south of the Anbar provincial capital Ramadi on December 25, 2015. (AFP)*

The ongoing operation is part of an all-out military campaign launched by the Iraqi army on Tuesday to cleanse the western Anbar province of Daesh militants, particularly its capital Ramadi which has been under the control of terrorists since May.

On Wednesday, Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanimi said his troops needed only days to drive Daesh out of Ramadi.

The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by violence ever since Daesh began an offensive through the Iraqi territory in June 2014. Army soldiers and Popular Mobilization units are seeking to take back militant-held regions in joint operations.

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