The Iraqi army has launched intensified military campaign aimed at countering ISIS resurgence in the desert areas between the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Saladin, all the way to the western Iraqi-Syrian border.
According to the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command the military campaign dubbed Desert Lions Operation, it will cover area spanning the north of Anbar governorate, the south of Nineveh governorate and the west of Saladin governorate.
The operations will include the participation of the Al-Jazeera, Saladin and West Nineveh army commands, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and the Tribal Forces, on eleven axes, all supported by Iraqi Air Force.
The purpose of the campaign is to enhance security and stability in these areas, track down terrorist elements and arrest those wanted for crimes, the media office added.
Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Saturday highlighted that the Iraqi armed forces were about to root out ISIS from Iraq once and for all.
The operation comes after members of the security forces, the PMF and two civilians were killed in separate attacks suspected to have been carried out by ISIS in several Iraqi provinces, including Diyala, since Friday.
In recent months, there has been a spike in attacks by armed elements thought to belong to ISIS, particularly in the area between Kirkuk, Saladin (to the north) and Diyala (to the east), popularly known as the “Triangle of Death.”
In 2017, Iraq declared victory over ISIS and reclaimed all of the territory held by the terror group, which was estimated at about a third of the country’s area.
However, the terrorist organisation still maintains sleeper cells in large areas throughout the country, and at times launches sporadic attacks in several governorates in an attempt to renew its foundations in the country.
