Iraqi forces have launched an assault on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) last stronghold in the country, the U.S.-led coalition said Thursday.
“The Iraqi Security Forces are battle-hardened after their victories in Mosul, Tal Afar and Hawijah. The ISF is a determined, professional force dedicated to ridding Iraq of Daesh,” the coalition said in a news release, using an alternate name for ISIS.
The offensive is in the al-Qaim district in the Middle Euphrates River Valley on the border with Syria. About 1,500 ISIS fighters are estimated to remain in the area, according to the coalition.
Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. and coalition airpower, retook Mosul from ISISin July. It was the last major city the terrorist group held in Iraq, but it has continued to hold smaller towns.
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