Submit or die, Iraqi army tells Daesh holdouts in Anbar

By Ibrahim Saleh

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraqi military aircraft on Friday dropped leaflets over Daesh’s last two remaining strongholds in Iraq, calling on members of the notorious terrorist group to surrender or die.

In a statement, the Defense Ministry said that air-force planes had dropped thousands of leaflets over the Daesh-held Qaim and Rawah districts, both of which are located in the western Anbar province near the Syrian border.

“The leaflets included a final warning to Daesh: lay down your arms and surrender or face death,” the statement read.

The mass leaflet drops strongly suggest that an Iraqi army attack on the two districts is imminent.

According to the ministry, the leaflets also called on civilian residents of Qaim and Rawah to stay away from Daesh sites and positions.

They also instructed civilians to raise white flags over their homes “upon the arrival of liberation forces”.

After overrunning vast territories in both Iraq and Syria in 2014, Daesh has recently suffered a string of major defeats at the hands of the Iraqi army and a U.S.-led coalition.

In August, the group lost Tal Afar in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province. And one month earlier, the city of Mosul -- once the capital of Daesh’s self-proclaimed “caliphate” -- fell to the army following a nine-month campaign.