Iraq forces gain ground from IS west of Fallujah

Syria army thrusts into IS bastion as Kurds advance from north

AFP, NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq: Iraqi forces gained new ground from the Islamic State group Saturday in a key area west of the jihadist bastion of Fallujah, security sources said.
Fighters from the army, the police and from the Hashed al-Shaabi—a paramilitary organisation dominated by Tehran-backed Shiite militias—entered the centre of Saqlawiya.
The town lies around 10 kilometres (six miles) northwest of Fallujah and control of the rural area around it is key to cutting off the city which Iraqi forces are trying to retake.
“The Iraqi army’s 14th division and Hashed al-Shaabi stormed the centre of Saqlawiya town from the highway and raised the Iraqi flag,” a statement from the Joint Operations Command said.
Federal police moving from a different direction were also involved in the operation to retake Saqlawiya.
As elite forces are trying to push into the centre of Fallujah, other forces have continued to clear areas around the city to ensure it is completely isolated.
The operation in Saqlawiya is aimed at cutting off Fallujah from Jazirat al-Khaldiyah, an area to the west which IS has been passing through to reach its positions elsewhere.
The Joint Operations Command said a US-led coalition air strike had hit a boatload of IS fighters attempting to flee Fallujah along the Euphrates river, killing all on board.
Fallujah lies just 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad and is one of IS’s most emblematic bastions. Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to retake the city on May 22-23.
Meanwhile, Russian-backed Syrian troops pushed into the Islamic State group’s bastion province Raqa Saturday, threatening to catch the jihadists in a pincer movement as US-backed Kurdish-led fighters advance from the north.
The lightning advance from the southwest with Russian air support brought the army to within 40 kilometres (25 miles) of the Euphrates Valley town of Tabqa, site of the country’s biggest dam, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said. The dam, 40 kilometres (25 miles) upstream from the jihadists’ de facto Syrian capital Raqa city, is also the target of the Washington-backed offensive which Kurdish-led fighters launched late last month.
It was the first time that government troops had entered Raqa province since they were ousted by IS fighters in August 2014.
Regular army troops were backed by militia newly trained by the regime’s ally Russia, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said that the twin offensives which threaten to cut off IS-held Raqa from jihadist-held territory along the Turkish border raised suspicions that Moscow and Washington were covertly coordinating operations by their respective Syrian allies.
“It seems there has been an undeclared coordination between Washington and Moscow,” he said.

 

Iraq forces gain ground from IS west of Fallujah

Syria army thrusts into IS bastion as Kurds advance from north

AFP, NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq: Iraqi forces gained new ground from the Islamic State group Saturday in a key area west of the jihadist bastion of Fallujah, security sources said. Fighters from the army, the police and from the Hashed al-Shaabia paramilitary organisation dominated by Tehran-backed Shiite militiasentered the centre of Saqlawiya. The town lies around 10 kilometres (six miles) northwest of Fallujah and control of the rural area around it is key to cutting off the city which Iraqi forces are trying to retake. The Iraqi armys 14th division and Hashed al-Shaabi stormed the centre of Saqlawiya town from the highway and raised the Iraqi flag, a statement from the Joint Operations Command said. Federal police moving from a different direction were also involved in the operation to retake Saqlawiya. As elite forces are trying to push into the centre of Fallujah, other forces have continued to clear areas around the city to ensure it is completely isolated. The operation in Saqlawiya is aimed at cutting off Fallujah from Jazirat al-Khaldiyah, an area to the west which IS has been passing through to reach its positions elsewhere. The Joint Operations Command said a US-led coalition air strike had hit a boatload of IS fighters attempting to flee Fallujah along the Euphrates river, killing all on board. Fallujah lies just 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad and is one of ISs most emblematic bastions. Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to retake the city on May 22-23. Meanwhile, Russian-backed Syrian troops pushed into the Islamic State groups bastion province Raqa Saturday, threatening to catch the jihadists in a pincer movement as US-backed Kurdish-led fighters advance from the north. The lightning advance from the southwest with Russian air support brought the army to within 40 kilometres (25 miles) of the Euphrates Valley town of Tabqa, site of the countrys biggest dam, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said. The dam, 40 kilometres (25 miles) upstream from the jihadists de facto Syrian capital Raqa city, is also the target of the Washington-backed offensive which Kurdish-led fighters launched late last month. It was the first time that government troops had entered Raqa province since they were ousted by IS fighters in August 2014. Regular army troops were backed by militia newly trained by the regimes ally Russia, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said that the twin offensives which threaten to cut off IS-held Raqa from jihadist-held territory along the Turkish border raised suspicions that Moscow and Washington were covertly coordinating operations by their respective Syrian allies. It seems there has been an undeclared coordination between Washington and Moscow, he said.