On April 12, the Iraqi military and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) concluded their security operation in the western al-Anbar desert.
The operation, dubbed “Victory Heroes 2,” was launched on April 9. Four Brigades of the PMU and four others from the Iraqi military led the operation that covered a large strip of Iraq’s border with Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
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Qasim Musleh, commander of the PMU’s al-Anbar Operations. Click to see full-size image
Click to see full-size image
Click to see full-size image
Click to see full-size image
In the course of the operation, government forces combed 17,000 km2, including two key valleys. 35 villages were also cleared.
According to the PMU’s media center, two terrorists were captured, while 14 suspects surrendered. Two vehicles, four motorcycles, nine assault rifles were seized. Furthermore, a hideout was destroyed.
“Operation Victory Heroes 2 was concluded with the inspection of the Jordanian-Saudi border strip and compromised areas, from which terrorist operations were being launched against residents and security forces,” Qasim Musleh, commander of the PMU’s al-Anbar Operations, said.
The western al-Anbar desert is known to be a stronghold of ISIS remnants. From there, the group launched an attack on a military positions near Rutba earlier this week, killing and injuring five Iraqi service members.
The operation will likely aloow to limit ISIS cells’ activities in the region for some time. However, more efforts will be needed to put an end the terrorist group’s presence there.
