Rawa

: Updated: PM Abadi says army freed last IS bastion in Anbar in record time

Published on 19 Novembre 2017 in MIDLE EAST/PRESS RELEASE/REGIONS by pressrelease

BAGHDAD – In a statement on Friday, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced that the armed forces and the Iraqi people succeeded in recapturing the city of Rawa, the last Islamic State’s stronghold in Western Anbar, in record time. “Our champions freed Rawa in record time and are resuming the combing of the Jazeera region as well as the desert and securing the Iraqi borders”, as Abadi said. In a few hours the city of Rawa has been liberated, showing the power and capability of Iraqi army as well as the successful and efficacious battles’ plans. After the recapture of many districts in the town, the liberation of Rawa marked the end of the military presence of IS in Western Anbar. Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of Jazeera and Upper Euphrates Combing Operations, declared that the recapture of Rawa was announced by raising the Iraqi flag above buildings there. Naeem al-Kaoud, chief of Anbar Province Council’s Security Committee, said that “operations to retake Rawa will possibly not take more than 24 hours, noting that most of IS militants had fled to Syria”. According to United Nations counts, the war against IS has displaced five million people, while hundreds of civilians and security troops were killed.

IHCHR: Islamic State holding 10.000 individuals in Anbar

The Iraq’s Human Rights Organism announced that the Islamic State militants are holding 10.000 civilians at Anbar’s western town of Rawa in Iraq. The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights underlined its “concern for the fate of innocents besieged inside Rawa” and according to the detecting sources at the commission’s offices in Anbar, “Daesh (Islamic State terrorists) are still holding nearly 2500 families, about 10.000 individuals, to use them as human shields and hamper the advance of Iraqi forces”, as he said. IS members have prevented civilians from reaching Iraqi security forces’ safe routes for their evacuation. The Commission also urged to accelerate operations to liberate the town and provide humanitarian aids and needs from local and world organizations. Since 2014 the extremist group have occupied one third of Iraq, including Qaim and Rawa towns, to proclaim a self-styled Islamic “Caliphate”. Late October, operations were launched to liberate these two towns. Iraqi forces have managed, so far, to retake Mosul, Tal Afar’s town, Kirkuk’s town of Hawija and Anbar’s Annah and Qaim. Only Rawa is still in the militants’ grip.

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