Iraqi forces have rescued hundreds of families who had been trapped between sources of fire in al-Qaim, a tribal leader in Anbar said Tuesday (October 31st).

Fighting has been going on for about a week to drive the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) from the border town of al-Qaim, its last remaining stronghold in westernmost Anbar.

On Monday, Iraqi forces backed by coalition warplanes began storming the town of al-Obaidi on the southern outskirts of al-Qaim.

"We have rescued more than 300 families, mostly women and children, who had wanted to reach the security forces but got trapped in areas of clashes with ISIS," tribal leader Sheikh Qatri al-Obeidi told Diyaruna.

"They were surrounded by fire and were about to be killed by the terrorists' bullets, but our troops managed to finally reach them and safely evacuate them from the fighting lines," he added.

"We have transferred them to safe areas and displacement camps to receive care and relief services," he said.

Most of these families lived in areas near al-Qaim, he said, adding that ISIS drove them out of their homes in order to booby-trap them, or use them as defensive positions to hinder the advance of Iraqi forces.

Safeguarding civilian lives

Iraqi forces are committed to protecting the lives of civilians, however, and will not allow ISIS fighters to threaten their well-being, al-Obeidi said, adding that "we have safe corridors for the people who leave the city to pass through".

Iraqi army and tribal forces are making good progress and have been able to liberate several areas, including al-Hasa, al-Awani, Jabbab, al-Zila and al-Saadiya, he added.

They also have driven ISIS from government facilities, including train repair workshops, a cement plant, the Akkas gas field, the T1 area and Saad air base, he said.

The army has also retaken the Akashat Complex and the phosphate warehouses, and liberated the villages of Umm al-Walf, Hussein al-Ali and Umm Tina, joint operations commander Lt. Gen. Abdul Ameer Rashid Yarallah said in a statement Tuesday.

ISIS car bombs, command and communications centres, weapons stores and explosives-making workshops have been destroyed in the operations, al-Obeidi said.

Meanwhile, at least 300 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been defused and detonated.

Many of these were oxygen canisters that had been stuffed with explosives and planted along the roads and in areas around al-Qaim, he said.

"These devices are delaying our operations, but we continue to make progress on the ground," al-Obeidi said.