Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says his country's “heroic legions” are advancing into the "last den" of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the Arab country and will liberate the few remaining towns and villages from the grips of the terror outfit soon, PressTV reported.
The Iraqi premier made the remarks in a Thursday statement issued from neighboring Iran, where he was on an official visit, saying the Iraqi forces were pushing forward to liberate the towns of “al-Qa'im and Rawa, and the surrounding villages and hamlets” in the country’s western Anbar province.
“They will all return to the arms of the motherland thanks to the determination and endurance of our fighting heroes,” he vowed, adding that Daesh terrorists “have no choice but to die or surrender.”
Meanwhile, Staff Major General Qassem al-Mohammadi said the army troops were advancing on four fronts to recapture the militant-held areas from the east, southeast, north and south.
He added that units of the federal police and the elite Counter-Terrorism Service as well as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), commonly known by its Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi, were supporting the army in the offensive.
According to military sources, the troops have already recaptured military bases southeast of al-Qa'im, including the key army base of the region and an airbase, which the fleeing terrorists left behind. The Iraqi forces also managed to liberate half a dozen villages in the area.
Reports also say Iraqi forces are less than two kilometers away from Rawa.
Abadi said earlier this month that Daesh terrorists will be totally defeated in the country by the end of the year.
The most decisive blow to Daesh came in July, when Iraqi forces liberated the northern city of Mosul, which used to be Daesh’s de facto capital in the Arab country, after three years. The battle for recapturing Daesh’s last urban bastion lasted for nine months.
The Takfiri terrorists swept through parts of northern and western Iraq in June 2014.They then began a reign of terror across the captured areas, committing crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.