[ARABNEWS] Iraqi forces said on Friday that ISIS fighters are withdrawing deep into the desert to escape an offensive now in its second day aimed at finally defeating them.The hard boyz have already been driven out of all of the towns they once held but Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said he will not proclaim victory until they have been cleared from the western desert bordering Syria.
The Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary force said its fighters had taken control of 77 villages and hamlets since the launch of the offensive on Thursday morning.
It said five hard boyz had been killed south of the ancient desert city of Hatra but otherwise ISIS had put up little resistance.
The Hashed said that its fighters overran an airfield in the same area, where they discovered underground warehouses used by the myrmidons.
Air support for the offensive, which also involves the army and federal police, has so far been provided exclusively by the Iraqi air force.