Iraqi forces on Friday entered the town of Al-Qaim in the Islamic State group's last bastion in the country, military commanders said.

Troops from the army and the elite Counter Terrorism Service "have started the assault on the centre of Al-Qaim," Staff Major General Noman Abed al-Zobai, the commander of the 7th Division, told AFP.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC) said paramilitary units were also involved in the assault including on the villages of Saada, Husseiba and al-Karabla.