The Western Anbar offensive (2017) was a military operation by the Iraqi Army against the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

, in the western districts of the Province of Anbar and on the border with

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. The offensive was concurrent another offensive by the Iraqi government, the Hawija Offensive (2017), as well with the Raqqa campaign conducted by the

Syrian Democratic Forces The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...

(SDF) against IS's former de facto capital city and stronghold in

, the Central Syria campaign (2017), and the 2017 Mayadin offensive.

Background

Al-Qaim was known as a hotbed of jihadist insurgency, after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with coalition forces carrying out repeated operations against

Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

jihadists. The strategic and porous border started becoming a route for foreign fighters entering Iraq from Syria, who was accused by Iraqi government of ignoring it. The towns of western Anbar were captured by the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

in 2014. Before the 2017 offensive, Iraqi forces had dislodged the group from key cities of Anbar including

Ramadi Ramadi ( ''Ar-Ramādī''; also formerly rendered as ''Rumadiyah'' or ''Rumadiya'') is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad and west of Fallujah. It is the capital and largest city of Al Anbar Governorate which shares borders with Syri ...

and

Fallujah Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...

but the areas near border with Syria including

Anah Anah or Ana (, ), formerly also known as Anna, is an Iraqi town on the Euphrates approximately midway between the Gulf of Alexandretta and the Persian Gulf. Anah lies from west to east on the right bank along a bend of the river just before it tu ...

, Rawa, Al-Qaim and the vast rural areas across the province remained under militant control. An Iraqi operation was launched towards west Anbar in January 2017, but was suspended after recapture of towns of Sagra and Zawiya because of preparations for retaking the western bank of

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

. The operation on Euphrates Valley was the first since recapture of

Tal Afar Tal Afar (, ; ) is a city in the Nineveh Governorate of northwestern Iraq, located west of Mosul, east of SinjarAkashat, Anah, Rawa and Al-Qaim towns, urging civilians to take cover and calling on the militants to surrender.

The offensive

Akashat

On September 16, Iraqi forces began the offensive, supported by the United States-led air alliance, to dislodge IS from the border with Syria to the south of the Euphrates, also aimed at tightening Iraq's hold on its border with Syria. According to military statements, the offensive on the Akashat region containing natural gas reserves, was also meant to pave the way for capturing IS-held towns along Euphrates valley. Later in the day, Iraqi military announced that it had captured Akashat. Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah from the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said the Hashd al-Shaabi and Iraqi border guards had also reopened a nearby strategic road besides capturing the town. In a separate statement, Hashd al-Shaabi added that troops captured the area after destroying defensive lines of the militants, used as a corridor to move between Syria and Iraq, leaving many of them killed and wounded.

Anah

On September 19, the Iraqi forces backed by US airstrikes began an assault on the militants in western Anbar. Iraqi military stated that a force composed of army units, police and tribal fighters launched the attack at dawn near the town of Anah. On the same day, Iraqi forces captured the village of al-Rayhana in the area. An Iraqi colonel told Agence-France Presse that the forces attacked it from three directions and seven militants were killed, with rest retreating to Anah. Yarallah from JOC announced on 21 September that Iraqi forces had completely captured Anah. A security source on the same day told Alghad Press that Mostafa Anwar Nayef, an IS field leader, was killed in al-Shishan district of the town.

Aftermath

On September 23, a security source stated that ten IS leaders fled from Al-Qaim to unknown places. On the next day, Iraqi Defense Ministry's War Media Cell stated that five militants were killed while an IS headquarters in Rawa was destroyed by airstrikes of CJTF-OIR. Rageh al-Eissawi, a member of Anbar province council's security commission, stated on September 25 that Iraqi forces had launched wide-scale combing operations on roads leading to Rawa in preparation for an assault on it. He added that it coincided with air raids by Iraqi warplanes in the area. Iraqi Army's 7th Division backed by PMU killed 11 militants, including a

wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

, on September 26, in an assault on outskirts of Rawa. Security sources added that five rest houses of the group were also destroyed. On September 27, the militants attacked and briefly took over areas near

according to security sources. The operation was likely meant to create a diversion against Iraq's offensives to dislodge the group from its last strongholds. Provincial police chief Major General Hadi Razij Kassar stated that security forces and tribes retook the Al-Tash, Majr and Kilometre Seven districts and all the militants were killed. A general meanwhile told that 20 militants were killed. A military source in a Ramadi hospital said two security personnel were killed and 18 civilians wounded. Maj. Gen. Hadi Rezeij, chief of Anbar police, stated on October 1 that fifty IS fighters were killed while 30 vehicles of the group were destroyed when troops thwarted the attack on Ramadi on September 27. Iraqi

Interior Ministry An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

stated on September 30 that 40 militants were killed while others were wounded in airstrikes. It added that a rest house and a booby-trapping workshop of the group were destroyed in Al-Qaim. A security source meanwhile stated that CJTF-OIR warplanes killed a senior IS leader named Marawan Mohamed Ali Ismail. A security source stated on October 9 that IS had started sending its fighter and equipment from Al-Qaim to Anbar's desert. Brett McGurk stated on 12 October that Iraqi forces were shifting en masse from

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

to Anbar, and was heading there to drive IS out of the border region with Syria. The military announced on 25 October that they were about to launch an offensive to retake last territory under IS control, with Iraqi Air Force dropping leaflets in Rawa and Al-Qaim. On October 26, Prime Minister al-Abadi announced an offensive to recapture the western border region of Al-Qaim and Rawah.

References