The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) is sliding from defeat to defeat as Iraqi forces tighten the noose around its last Anbar strongholds, officials said.

Since August 31st, when Iraqi forces declared the full liberation of Tal Afar, the group's last major urban stronghold in northern Iraq, all eyes have turned to Anbar, where battles will be waged to liberate al-Qaim, Rawa and Anah.

"ISIS is on the verge of collapse in the last of its remaining strongholds in the districts of al-Qaim, Rawa, Anah and Akashat" in al-Rutbah, said Jazeera Operations Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Mohammedi.

"The final battle is imminent and we are merely waiting for the green light from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi," he told Diyaruna.

Army combat units, emergency units, Anbar police and tribal forces will take part in the assault, with air cover from the coalition and Iraqi air force, he said.

"The tables have turned for ISIS," he said, noting the army's victories in Mosul and Tal Afar and the dozens of ISIS leaders who were killed or fled to Syria.

Securing border strip

"Iraqi military leaders have taken part in major battles to liberate Mosul, Fallujah, Tal Afar and other cities in Anbar province, and have been preparing for the battle to liberate al-Hawija and the remaining cities of the Upper Euphrates," said Anbar Operations Commander Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Falahi.

"The next battle will focus on liberating and cleansing western Anbar and securing the border strip with Syria," he told Diyaruna.

Combat units will advance towards al-Qaim, Rawa and Anah while evacuating civilians and transporting them to camps, where they will have access to food and medical aid, he said.

"ISIS is detaining hundreds of civilian families in western Anbar and has been using them as human shields for almost three years," he said.

The army will provide these families with safe passage so they can evacuate their homes ahead of the battle, he added.

Tribal participation

"Six well-equipped, well-trained and well-armed brigades made up of tribal fighters will take part in the battle to liberate western Anbar and hold the land," said al-Baghdadi district tribal mobilisation commander Sheikh Qatari al-Samarmad.

"Tribal fighters will be on the front line, fighting and crushing terrorist cells and supporting ground forces as they advance to the border strip with Syria," he told Diyaruna.

Security forces taking part in the operations also will be supported with special forces capable of disarming booby-trapped buildings, projectiles and explosive devices, he said, to ensure that combat units can advance safely and quickly.

The joint forces will be advancing from al-Rutbah district and al-Waleed border crossing to al-Qaim, with forces advancing from Heet towards Rawa, said Col. Shaker al-Rishawi, commander of the desert hawks in Anbar.

"Iraqi forces will move their combat brigades from Haditha and Kubaysa into the heart of Anah and al-Qaim, which will be a successful military strategy to corner and crush ISIS as it tries to flee to the desert," he said.

In tandem with the liberation battle, the border guards, al-Jazeera operations forces and tribal fighters also will be in charge of securing the valleys, desert areas, caves and lowlands that could provide shelter for ISIS fighters, he said.

"The recent victories of Iraqi forces against terrorism will help win the battle to cleanse the remaining parts of western Anbar and to deplete the fighting capacity of ISIS and ultimately defeat it," he said.