The Iraqi military said Friday that more forces will be deployed in a number of western provinces that were under ISIS control from 2014 to 2017.
A government official in Saladin governorate said a huge number of forces were sent to major ISIS strongholds in the area, including police and army personnel.
Also, Iraq's al-Zawiya mayor Mohammed Zaidan said that emergency teams were deployed all around the province in preparation for possible terrorist attacks.
He also said a number of ISIS militants who are present in the area are no longer capable of leaving their positions or launching attacks.
According to Zeidan, army checkpoints are now supported with surveillance cameras to track the movement of armed terrorists in the area.
He noted that the measures were taken to avoid witnessing new massacre scenarios .
In the same context, the Iraqi Directorate of General Military Intelligence announced arresting one terrorist in Anbar hiding improvised explosive devices and mortar bombs.
It also managed to seize 38 explosive devices, in addition to 34 detonators and 155 cannon guns in Anbar’s Ramadi.
In this regard, security expert Dr. Moataz Mohiuddin, Director of the Center of the Republic of Strategic Studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the capacities of the Iraqi Army have developed over the past years, allowing it to confront terrorist organizations, particularly after liberating ISIS-controlled areas in 2017.
“However, the Iraqi Army still faces challenges, especially in villages and areas that are hard to reach,” Mohiuddin noted.
