Iraq News
Security

Iraqi forces drive ISIS from Akashat in Anbar

By Khalid al-Taie

Iraqi forces are seen outside the town of Akashat as they prepare a military operation to push out the 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' from the nearby areas, on September 15th. [Moadh al-Dulaimi/AFP]

Iraqi forces are seen outside the town of Akashat as they prepare a military operation to push out the 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' from the nearby areas, on September 15th. [Moadh al-Dulaimi/AFP]

Iraqi forces on Saturday (September 16th) succeeded in driving the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) from Akashat, near the border with Syria.

The al-Rutba district town was liberated as part of a large-scale military operation to drive ISIS from Upper Euphrates areas in western Anbar province.

Army, police, border patrol and local fighters forced ISIS to withdraw from the town a few hours after the start of the battle.

"The town has been fully liberated and some 140 kilometres along the road leading north from al-Rutba to the city of al-Qaim through Akashat have been secured," al-Rutba governor Emad Mashaal al-Dulaimi said Monday (September 18th).

"Our forces have accomplished their mission with great success," he told Diyaruna.

Holding the liberated territory will not be easy, however, since it is open to vast desert areas, he added.

"We need to deploy sufficient numbers of security forces and tribesmen and set up many barricades, fortifications and checkpoints to prevent militants from threatening the area and launching surprise attacks," he said.

Security teams remove explosives

Military engineering teams have started removing the explosives ISIS had planted everywhere in the town and along the desert road, al-Dulaimi said.

"The forces on Monday embarked on the mission to blow up mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and defuse booby-trapped houses," he said.

Three houses and an IED blew up Saturday in the path of the security forces as they were advancing through the town’s alleys, and a suicide bomber blew up a car bomb next to commando units in order to block their advance.

The explosions killed five soldiers and wounded a number of others, al-Dulaimi said.

"Efforts to secure the area of explosives will go on until we are certain that the danger is over, and that needs time," he said.

Security forces have not encountered any significant humanitarian issues during the push into Akashat, he noted, since most of the population had left in batches some time before the assault began.

"There were only about 43 families living near the town, who managed to escape and reach al-Rutba’s city centre on Sunday," he said.

The recovery of Akashat is a quality victory for the Iraqi forces as it is a gateway to al-Qaim, the largest ISIS stronghold in the west of the country, he added.

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