Iraqi security forces are sweeping villages and farmland north of Baghdad as part of an operation aimed at clearing remaining militants belonging to Daesh from around the country’s capital.
The dragnet is part of the operation dubbed “Will to Victory,” which started two weeks ago along the border with Syria and was extended last week to areas north of Baghdad and in the Diyala, Salahuddin, and Anbar provinces.
Maj. Gen. Jalil al-Rubaie, commander of the Baghdad Operations Command, described it as a “well-planned operation” and urged residents of Tarmiyah to cooperate with security forces. Much of the area is sparsely populated farmland, which militants have used to launch attacks on security forces.
Despite Iraq declaring victory against Daesh in July 2017, the extremists continue to carry out attacks around the country.
