Iraq: '10,000 tribesmen join fight against Daesh'

BAGHDAD

More than 10,000 tribal fighters in Iraq have backed Iraqi troops and U.S.-led coalition air forces in an attack on Daesh, seizing control of two districts to the east of Ramadi, according to Iraqi government officials.

The attack on Wednesday came as Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi visited the al-Habbaniya military base in Ramadi city to monitor the progress of the military operations, an official told Anadolu Agency.

The military operations started from Ramadi city on a mission to liberate all areas of the western province from the Daesh terrorist group, Sabbah Karhout Anbar province’s council chief, told AA.

Major General Qasem al-Mohammadi Anbar, the province's military operations chief, told AA Iraqi forces and the tribal fighters as well as Iraqi and U.S.-led air forces had managed to seize control of the districts of al-Sajariya and al-Fallahat from Daesh in the east of Ramadi. 

At least 37 Daesh militants were killed in the operations, al-Mohammadi said.

Dozens killed

The Iraqi forces slowly advanced in all the areas around Ramadi city, exercising caution as Daesh militants had planted improvised explosive devices, he added.

Meanwhile, clashes between Iraqi forces backed by the Shiite militia of al-Hashid al-Shaabi and Daesh took place over the oil-rich area of Hermin in Saladin province.

The Iraqi army had seized control of a part of the area containing 33 oil wells last month.

Hadi al-Amiri, a commander of the Badr group which belongs to the al-Hashid al-Shaabi Shiite militia, told AA that Daesh was attempting to retake control of the areas that it had lost, which have economic significance to the terror organization.

 In the eastern province of Diyala, security sources said 12 Iraqi soldiers were killed and 14 others injured as well as 34 Daesh militants in clashes that took place during the past 48 hours in the joint areas between the provinces of Diyala, Saladin and Kirkuk.

Clashes between Iraqi forces and Daesh have been ongoing since June 2014 when the armed group seized Mosul and other territories in Iraq.