ِIslamic State brings down flags, evacuates members from Qaim, near Syrian borders
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State has evacuated its members and leaders after bringing down its flags from one of its main strongholds in western Anbar town of Qaim, on borders with Syria.
“IS militants evacuated its local, Arab and foreign members and leaders from all of the group’s headquarters in Qaim town,” Sputnik quoted a local source from Anbar as saying.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the members and leaders moved to new secret headquarters outside of Qaim and headed toward the Iraqi western desert.
IS, according to the source, “has adopted the new plan after huge losses were inflicted on the group due to airstrikes launched by Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition fighter jets, which targeted its havens, killing and injuring hundreds of members over the past months.”
In April, Qutri al-Obeidi, a leader with the paramilitary al-Hashd al-Shaabi troops said IS members were evacuated from Rawa town towards Qaim after the leaders ordered the fighters, along with their families, to leave due to intensified airstrikes.
Anbar’s western towns of Annah, Qaim and Rawa have been held by the extremist group since 2014, when it emerged to proclaim a self-styled Islamic Caliphate.
Fighter jets from the Iraqi army and the international coalition have also regularly pounded IS locations in the province. The Iraqi government is expected to aim at those strongholds once the Mosul battle is concluded.
Ministry: 165.000 displaced families return to Anbar, 300.000 still out
Anbar (Iraqinews.com) The number of dispalced families who had been repatriated to their hometowns in Anbar has stood at more than 165.000, according to the Iraqi government.
The Ministry of Migration and Displacement director in Anbar, Mohamed Rasheed, said in a press statement on Monday that while 165.107 families returned to their home areas in the province since mid 2016, there are more than 300.000 families still displaced outside the province.
The war against Islamic State militants in Iraq has displaced more than four million Iraqis since January 2014, according to Iraqi government figures. More than 670.000 were displaced since Iraqi government forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition moved in October to drive the group out of Mosul, its largest urban stronghold in Iraq.