Sun Mar 13, 2016 16:19:58
An Iraqi army general says the ISIS Takfiri group has pulled its militants out of the town of Rutbah in the conflict-ridden province of Anbar.
"ISIS has completely pulled out of Rutbah and gone towards al-Qa'im," the general, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Sunday.
Qa'im is a ISIS bastion on Iraq’s border with Syria.
"ISIS’s armed men started pulling out last night and completed their withdrawal this morning. Rutbah is now free of ISIS,” the general added.
Rutbah mayor Imad Ahmed also confirmed the report, saying ISIS has no armed men there now.
"This withdrawal looks real, a consequence of their losses in Anbar, notably the retaking by the security forces of Ramadi, of areas east of Ramadi and the progress towards Hit," Ahmed added.
Iraqi forces established full control over the city of Ramadi in February and have launched operations in areas around the provincial city to free more regions from Takfiri militants.
Counter-terrorism forces, army soldiers, police and allied volunteer fighter have been conducting a joint operation since March 1 aimed at retaking militant-held areas near the capital, Baghdad.
The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by violence ever since ISIS Takfiri terrorists began their march through the Iraqi territory in June 2014.
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