Army, tribal allies make gains against Daesh in W. Iraq

Suleiman al-Qubeisi, Ibrahim Salih and Ali Jawad

ANBAR, Iraq (AA) – The Iraqi army and pro-government tribal fighters captured several villages on Friday -- without facing resistance -- from the Daesh terrorist group in the western Anbar province, according to a military official.

Army Major-General Numan Abdel-Zawbaei told Anadolu Agency that Iraqi forces had "liberated" seven villages located between Anbar’s city of Haditha and the town of Anah.

The villages were taken after Daesh militants vacated the area without offering resistance, leaving weapons and ammunition behind before retreating to the town of Anah.

Iraqi forces are now reportedly besieging areas near Anah before a decisive advance on the town.

In a related development, Iraqi counter-terrorism forces also liberated the northern city of Mosul’s eastern Al-Muthanna district, according to a televised statement by General Abdel-Amir Yarullah.

The Iraqi army, backed by U.S.-led coalition warplanes and local allies on the ground, is currently engaged in a major offensive aimed at ejecting Daesh from Mosul, which the terrorist group overran in mid-2014.

Since the operation began in mid-October, Iraqi forces have reportedly established control over more than a quarter of Mosul, once considered Iraq’s second largest city in terms of population.