Iraqi Army Captures Strategic Areas of Anbar Province

The Iraqi Army and allied armed forces have captured strategic positions from the terrorist group in Anbar Province, in preparation for an assault against terrorist positions in the city of Ramadi.

The Iraqi Army and allied Popular Mobilization Forces have captured strategically important locations in Anbar Province from Daesh (ISIL/ISIS), which give them the positions to launch an operation to liberate Ramadi from the terrorists, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

"Daesh retreated from the areas around the bridge and the Iraqi government forces took full control over it after killing and wounding many terrorists," military sources told Fars.

According to the report, the Iraqi Army and pro-government forces captured the strategically important al-Tufaha Bridge over the Euphrates River south of Fallujah.

"Conquest of the strategic bridge will end in more isolation of the ISIL forces trapped in Ramadi," and enable pro-government forces to carry out an operation to liberate the city from terrorists, the agency reported.

"The commanders of the Iraqi Army troops and the popular forces operating in the Ramadi battlefield have held several joint meetings in Anbar province to coordinate each others' duties and missions in the final phase of liberating operation of the city," and are recruiting fighters for the operation from local towns and villages.

Ramadi is about 110 km west of Baghdad, and has been under Daesh control since the terrorist group captured the city in May 2015 following a series of battles with Iraqi government forces. Daesh took control of the city of Fallujah, 70km west of Baghdad, in January 2014.