The Iraqi army and volunteer fighters seized control of a village in the western province of Anbar on Tuesday, closing in on the city of Fallujah.
The city is considered the main gateway to areas under the control of Daesh Takfiri terrorists. Current reports say Fallujah is now surrounded by Iraqi forces from three directions and efforts are underway for a decisive blitz into the city. Fallujah became the focus of the anti-Daesh battle after Iraqis liberated Anbar’s provincial capital of Ramadi last month.
Iraqi media said the forces recaptured the village of Rumaylah located in Saqlawiah region, north of the capital, Baghdad.
The Iraqi military says control over Fallujah could pave the way for a final push to flush the terrorists out of the major city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province, which was overtaken by Daesh in the summer of 2014.
Also on Tuesday, pro-government forces launched offensives against Daesh in Anbar’s eastern region of Husaybah. Nearly 30 terrorists were reportedly killed. More than two dozen terrorists were also killed in rocket attacks by Iraqi forces on al-Bushjal and al-Naimiyah regions east of Anbar.
Iraq has been gripped by turmoil since summer 2014, when Daesh overran parts of the country in the west and the north. The military and allied fighters have recaptured key towns such as Tikrit in the northern province of Salahuddin.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi vowed after the liberation of Ramadi that the year 2016 will be the year for the final elimination of Daesh from the Iraqi soil.