Anbar operations target Islamic State hideouts in desert

ANBAR — Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service conducted three separate operations on Friday in the Anbar desert, destroying two vehicles and several hideouts linked to the Islamic State group.

The operations were part of ongoing search and clearance efforts by security forces, according to a statement from the Security Media Cell, which is affiliated with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s office. The actions were carried out under the supervision of the Joint Operations Command’s targeting cell, based on intelligence provided by the Ministry of Interior.

ISIS, which emerged in 2014 after seizing major cities such as Mosul and Tikrit and declaring a “caliphate,” has long been notorious for its extreme violence and attacks on minority communities. Although the group was largely militarily defeated in Iraq by 2017 through the combined efforts of Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and a U.S.-led coalition, remnants continue to operate as an insurgency from remote areas.

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