Fourth phase of ‘Will of Victory’ operation begins: Iraqi defense ministry
The Iraqi Security Media Cell said the latest phase of the operation will clear ISIS’ presence in the Anbar province.
“The aim of the operation is to clean the desert of Anbar from Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells,” the Iraqi Security Media Cell said in a statement on Saturday.
The third phase of Will of Victory, which was in the eastern Diyala province, “achieved the targets successfully,” the cell said.
The operation is a collaboration between various domestic forces, including the Anbar Operations Command, al-Jazira Operation Command, Hashd al-Ashairi paramilitias, federal police, the army, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi), Border Guard Command and the air force, as well as the US-led international coalition, according to the statement.
Iraqi security forces aim to clear a nearly 43,000 kilometer area, the security cell also said in the statement.
The PMF also released a statement on Saturday announcing that the Iran-backed, predominantly Shiite militias are part of the operation, and it will be in the Wadi Houran valley in the province.
“PMF Anbar units are participating in the fourth phase of the Will of Victory operation through three frontlines,” the PMF said in a statement. “The main aim of the operation is to clear Wadi Houran area from ISIS sleeper cells in Anbar province.”
The PMF also announced that deputy chairman of PMF, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, is personally supervising the movements and frontlines of the PMF in Anbar during the operation.
Muhandis caused a controversy recently when he accused the US and Israel of causing mysterious explosions at PMF sites, after which PMF head Faleh al-Fayyadh distanced the militias from Muhandis’ comments. Israeli media later reported that the country is indeed conducting military operations in Iraq, while the US said it did not attack any PMF bases.
Iran’s support for many PMF units has caused tension between them and the US and Israel. PMF units are currently conducting a wide military operation in the deserts of the Nineveh province claiming to hunt ISIS sleeper cells.
The Iraqi government announced the territorial defeat of ISIS in December 2017. However, remnants of the group have returned to earlier insurgency tactics of ambushing security forces, kidnapping, executing suspected informants, and extorting money from vulnerable, rural populations.
ISIS is particularly active near the Syrian border, in the Nineveh province, and in disputed territories between Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
A report from the US Department of Defense released in August said there are 14,000 to 18,000 ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria.