Iraqi army kills 250 ISIL terrorists in Anbar province

A high-ranking Iraqi military commander says units of government forces have killed hundreds of ISIL Takfiri militants during fierce exchanges of fire and wrested control of swathes of territory in the western province of Anbar.

“We’ve killed many – more than 250 terrorists in the past few days,” head of Baghdad Operational Command Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari told Sky News Arabia from the frontline on Friday.

He added that Iraq’s ground forces have achieved such a success with assistance from Iraqi fighter jets as well as military helicopters.

The remarks come a day after Iraqi troopers, backed by pro-government Shia volunteer forces, managed to retake the old road of al-Karma, located 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad.

Iraqi forces sit on an armed vehicle as they patrol Karma district, west of the capital, Baghdad, on April 20, 2015. © AFP
Iraqi forces also recaptured three villages north of the city besides killing a large number of ISIL extremists in the fighting.

The offensive inflicted heavy damage on the Takfiris as Iraqi troops destroyed a bomb-making plant run by the ISIL terror group.

Terrorists with the Takfiri ISIL group have reportedly executed at least 6,000 people in Anbar since late 2013.

Media reports quoted official sources in Anbar as saying that the executions have taken place mainly in the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.

Iraqi forces sit on an armed vehicle as they patrol Karma district, west of the capital, Baghdad, on April 20, 2015. © AFP
ISIL launched an offensive in Iraq in June last year and took control of Mosul, the country’s second-largest city, before sweeping through parts of the country’s heartland.

The terrorists have committed heinous crimes and threatened all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians during their advances in Iraq.

Iraqi soldiers, police units, Kurdish forces, Shia fighters and Sunni tribesmen have been engaged in joint operations to drive the terrorists out of the areas they have seized.