Iraqi forces uncover ISIS hideouts in Anbar desert operation

ANBAR — Iraqi military intelligence said Tuesday it had located and destroyed five hideouts used by Islamic State militants during an operation in the Wadi al-Aghri area of the Anbar desert.

The Military Intelligence Directorate said in a statement that its units, in coordination with the 5th Infantry Division’s intelligence branch, discovered the sites stocked with weapons, ammunition, food supplies, and other logistical materials. Combat engineers later demolished the hideouts and their contents.

The directorate said the raid was part of continuing efforts to track down ISIS remnants across Iraq.

ISIS declared a so-called caliphate in 2014, capturing major Iraqi cities including Mosul and Tikrit, before being ousted by Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga, and a U.S.-led coalition in 2017. Its last Syrian stronghold fell in 2019, but cells remain active in rural and desert regions.

In August, Iraqi military officials said ISIS no longer poses a strategic threat inside the country, crediting daily security sweeps and intelligence operations. “Our security forces are capable and fully prepared to deal with any security developments,” armed forces spokesperson Sabah al-Numan told the Iraqi News Agency at the time. “They are receiving continuous blows, thanks to the determination and vigilance of our forces.”