20 ISIS militants were killed near the Iraqi-Syrian borders

Twenty Islamic State militants were killed as the Shia-led paramilitary troops repulsed an attack on the Iraqi-Syria borders, the media service said. In a statement on Monday, the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said troops, backed by the Iraqi jets repelled an IS attack at the region between the borders and al-Hamdaniyah district, northeast of Nineveh province.

Twenty militants were killed, while six vehicles of the group were burnt, the statement added. Another statement by the Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said an airstrike was carried out at Tal Sufouq, a region at Nineveh’s borders with Syria, killed 20 militants.

In May, Hadi al-Amiri, head of Badr Organization, which works under the umbrella of the PMUs, announced reaching to Iraqi-Syrian borders. The target behind expanding the control of borders, according to PMUs officials, is to prevent infiltration of of IS militants from Syria to Iraq.

PMUs, an alliance of more than 60 mostly Shia militias, are recognized by the government as a national force under the Prime Minister’s command. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi vowed to keep the PMUs for several years and announced increase of their budget to raise the fighters’ wages.

Iraqi forces have destroyed three rest houses belonging to the Islamic State, northeast of Diyala governorate, according to Dijla Operations Command. Joint forces of army, police and al-hashd al-shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) launched a large-scale military operation to track the cells of the IS across al-Saadiya town and nearby towns, Lieutenant General Mazhar al-Ezzawi told Alsumaria News.

“The preliminary results showed that the forces have managed to destroy three rest houses” he added. The Dijla Operations Command had launched a series of large-scale operations in recent months across Diyala to eliminate IS cells. Early today, an airstrike destroyed a vehicle boarded by Islamic State militants on the borders between Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, killing three on board.

Islamic State members have escalated their attacks against security and civilians over the past months as Iraqi forces were focusing most of their efforts to drive the group out of Mosul, the militants’ former capital which was declared free earlier this month. More than 25000 militants were killed in the Mosul campaign, according to Iraqi generals, including both foreign and local members, while a few thousands remain in other havens in Diyala, Salahuddin, Kirkuk and Anbar which the Iraqi government plans to target with future military offensives.

Seven Islamic State fighters were killed in an airstrike launched by the international coalition in western Anbar, Al-Jazeera Operations Command announced on Monday. “The U.S.-led coalition jets managed to shell a group of IS militants in north of Rawa city, located west of Anbar province,” Major-General Qassim al-Mohammadi, commander of the army’s Al-Jazeera Operations, told AlSumaria News.

“Seven militants were killed, while two vehicles were destroyed,” Mohammadi added. Earlier on Monday, Sputnik news agency quoted a source as saying that an airstrike launched by unidentified jets shelled a house in Rawa, killing four members of one family and injuring a fifth.

A military source was quoted on Sunday as saying that Lt.Gen Abdul-Amir Yarallah, commander of the Nineveh Operation, ordered to besiege IS havens in western Anbar preparing to invade them. Iraqi fighter jets reportedly dropped last week millions of leaflets informing locals that liberation offensives for the province were nearing.

Iraqi troops were able to return life back to normal in the biggest cities of Anbar including Fallujah, Ramadi and others after recapturing them. However, Anbar’s western towns of Annah, Qaim and Rawa are still held by the extremist group since 2014, when it emerged to proclaim a self-styled Islamic Caliphate. Fighter jets from the Iraqi army and the international coalition have also regularly pounded IS locations in the province.

Seven Islamic State fighters were killed in an airstrike launched by the international coalition in western Anbar, Al-Jazeera Operations Command announced on Monday. “The U.S.-led coalition jets managed to shell a group of IS militants in north of Rawa city, located west of Anbar province,” Major-General Qassim al-Mohammadi, commander of the army’s Al-Jazeera Operations, told AlSumaria News.

“Seven militants were killed, while two vehicles were destroyed,” Mohammadi added. Earlier on Monday, Sputnik news agency quoted a source as saying that an airstrike launched by unidentified jets shelled a house in Rawa, killing four members of one family and injuring a fifth.

A military source was quoted on Sunday as saying that Lt.Gen Abdul-Amir Yarallah, commander of the Nineveh Operation, ordered to besiege IS havens in western Anbar preparing to invade them. Iraqi fighter jets reportedly dropped last week millions of leaflets informing locals that liberation offensives for the province were nearing.

Iraqi troops were able to return life back to normal in the biggest cities of Anbar including Fallujah, Ramadi and others after recapturing them. However, Anbar’s western towns of Annah, Qaim and Rawa are still held by the extremist group since 2014, when it emerged to proclaim a self-styled Islamic Caliphate. Fighter jets from the Iraqi army and the international coalition have also regularly pounded IS locations in the province.