Iraq liberates Hit center from Daesh occupation
Iraq’s elite forces have managed to push back militants of the Daesh Takfiri group from key areas of a city west of the country.
State television said on Friday that Iraq's counter-terrorism forces had reached the center of the town of Hit, and raised the Iraqi flag on top of a government building.
“We are still pursuing them. They have abandoned their families and fled,” a local commander said on state TV, adding that “within days” Iraqis will be celebrating the complete liberation of Anbar province, where Hit, a city with a pre-war population of 100,000, is located.
Fighting has been going on for over a week in Hit with government forces trying to dislodge militants from residential areas across the city. The progress was mainly hampered by the presence of thousands of civilians trapped inside the town.
State television said Iraqi forces have successfully evacuated more than 10,000 civilians from the town in recent days.
Other sources said Daesh militants had planted explosives on roads as well as in cars and buildings, further complicating the advance of government forces in the streets of Hit.
The liberation of Hit is the latest in a string of gains by the Iraqi military and allied volunteer fighters against Daesh. Iraqi forces recaptured Anbar’s provincial capital of Ramadi two months ago while an operation is also underway to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and Daesh's main stronghold in the north of the country.
US occupation forces in Iraq, Syria hit in two separate attacks in 24 hours
Iraq won’t tolerate violation of its sovereignty, PM tells Erdogan
Why bombing Hashd al-Sha’abi base in Iraq will backfire on Israeli regime
April 25: ‘Axis of Resistance’ operations against Israeli occupation
Hezbollah hits Israeli military sites near border with rockets, drones
Rwandans say UK deportation 'another brutal manifestation of neo-colonialism'
US troops begin construction of controversial pier off Gaza
Israel ‘spoofs’ GPS signals, endangering flight safety amid Gaza war: Report
Iran urges Security Council to address 'belligerent' Israeli atrocities
VIDEO | Leader meets workers on Labor Week
French police called in to break up US-style pro-Palestinian student demo
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
