Iraqi army units are deployed during military operations of the Iraqi Army’s Seventh Brigade in Anbar, Iraq, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 5:35 PM PT — Sunday, December 29, 2019
On Sunday, Iraqi officials announced they’ve started a military operation against remaining pockets of Islamic State group fighters. The operation is being conducted by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command and will target areas in Mosul and along the Syrian border.
“This operation is to clear the desert from the remnants of terrorist Islamic State group fighters,” stated Col. Hassan Jawad Kadhim. “God willing, the operations will continue until all of the Western Desert is cleared and secured.”
Local tribal militias will also be participating in the operations. They will be supported by the Iraqi Air Force and the Coalition Air Force.
This came the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed an Iranian-backed attack on a joint U.S.-Iraqi military base in Iraq. During a Sunday press conference, Pompeo said Iran’s Ayatollah regime continues to pose a security threat to the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East.
Previous reports claimed the 47th Brigade of Iraqi Hezbollah, which is backed by Iranian Guards of the Islamic Revolution, fired missiles at Camp Taji on Saturday night. The reported attack came hours after a U.S. airstrike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Iraq, which eliminated a top Hezbollah commander.
“This wasn’t the first set of attacks against this particular Iraqi facility and others where American lives are risked,” stated Pompeo. “Today what we did was take a decisive response that makes clear what President Trump has said for months and months, which is that we will not stand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take actions to put American men and women in jeopardy.”
Related: Pompeo: Iranian-Backed Group Attacked Iraq Facility, Put American Servicemen At Risk
This aerial photo taken from a helicopter shows Ain al-Asad air base in the western Anbar desert, Iraq, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
