Iraqi army troops, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units, have retaken several areas from the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in the strategic city of Hit, military sources say.
Three neighborhoods in a district of Hit, located in the western province of Anbar, were recaptured by the army, Major General Sami Kazim al-Ardi, a commander in the Counter-Terrorist Bureau, told Iraq's al-Sumaria News on Tuesday.
Only some areas in three districts of Hit's northeastern part are to be liberated.
Meanwhile, Major General Abdul-Ghani al-Assadi, another commander in the Counter-Terrorist Bureau, announced that the Iraqi forces have thwarted a Daesh attack on Hit city center.
Daesh is on the verge of total defeat in Hit as many of its elements were killed on Monday, the commander added.
On April 4, Iraqi forces entered Hit, located 31 miles (50 kilometers) from Anbar’s capital city of Ramadi. The advance came a week after the beginning of an operation by the army to take full control of the city.
It was the latest in a string of gains by the Iraqi military and allied volunteer fighters against Daesh in the conflict-ridden Arab country.
Ramadi, which had fallen to Daesh last May, was also liberated in December 2015.
The northern and western parts of Iraq have seen violence by Daesh since the group began an offensive in the Iraqi territory in June 2014.
Daesh terrorists have been carrying out horrific acts of violence, such as public decapitations and crucifixions, against all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians in areas they have overrun.