|
Iraq Forces Gain Ground from IS West of Fallujah
[An Nahar] Iraqi forces gained new ground from the Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... group Saturday in a key area west of the jihadist bastion of Fallujah, ... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperityor a really nice place to raise your kids... security sources said. Fighters from the army, the police and from the Hashed al-Shaabi -- a paramilitary organization dominated by Tehran-backed Shiite militias -- entered the center of Saqlawiya. The town lies around 10 kilometers (six miles) northwest of Fallujah and control of the rural area around it is key to cutting off the city which Iraqi forces are trying to retake. "The Iraqi army's 14th division and Hashed al-Shaabi stormed the center of Saqlawiya town from the highway and raised the Iraqi flag," a statement from the Joint Operations Command said. Federal police moving from a different direction were also involved in the operation to retake Saqlawiya. As elite forces are trying to push into the center of Fallujah, other forces have continued to clear areas around the city to ensure it is completely isolated. The operation in Saqlawiya is aimed at cutting off Fallujah from Jazirat al-Khaldiyah, an area to the west which IS has been passing through to reach its positions elsewhere. The Joint Operations Command said a US-led coalition air strike had hit a boatload of IS fighters attempting to flee Fallujah along the Euphrates river, killing all on board. Posted by: Fred 2016-06-05 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=458027 |