Iraqi forces continue anti-ISIL operations in Anbar, Salahuddin

The Iraqi troops, backed by volunteer fighters, continue their operations against ISIL Takfiri terrorists in two major provinces of Anbar and Salahuddin, Press TV reports.

The Iraqi forces pressed ahead with their mop-op operations in the western province of Anbar, inflicting heavy losses on Takfiri terrorists, the report said on Wednesday.

According to the report, the Iraqi warplanes targeted ISIL’s positions in Tikrit, the capital city of the northern province of Salahuddin.

Following the recent victories clinched by the Iraqi forces, political analysts expressed hope that the large-scale operations would soon manage to flush Takfiris out of the two provinces.

“Victories achieved by Iraqi forces and volunteers make us trust their planning. Now in Tikrit, new reinforcements will help liberate the city. In Anbar too, the forces are advancing in Karmah and Fallujah, and I believe that would pave the way for more victories,” Weal al-Rakabi, a political analyst, told the Press TV correspondent.

In an exclusive interview with Press TV, Weal al-Rakabi, another political analyst, hailed the determination of the Iraqi troops in fighting heavily-armed Takfiri terrorists.

“The operations in Anbar and Salahauddin are part of the plan hatched by Iraqi forces. We have been facing an enemy which is supported by the United States, some Persian Gulf countries as well as loyalists of the former Iraqi regime. This has made the job of Iraqi forces tough, but not impossible. We have archived and are still achieving victories and soon we will be witnessing more,” Rakabi said.

Earlier this month, some 30,000 Iraqi troops started a large-scale operation to recapture Tikrit, which is the birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The volunteer forces, which include both Shia and Sunni members, also joined the operation.

The ISIL terrorists, many of whom were initially trained by the US Central Intelligence Agency in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, now control parts of Iraq and neighboring Syria. They have been engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control.