The effort was backed by paramilitary forces and areal support, and came as a group of suicide bombers targeted a military headquarters in Haditha in Western Iraq, killing eight officers… an attack IS has claimed responsibility for.
Controlling the area will not only restrict IS militants’ movements between the three provinces in the region, but will also be essential for future operations to retake parts of Anbar province and Mosul.
ABC’s Tom Rivers joined us from London.
