A major military operation to liberate Iraq’s Anbar and Salaheddin provinces from ISIS forces has begun, al-Hashd al-Shaabi Shia militia group said Tuesday.
The fighting in Salaheddin province is to cut a key supply route and liberate Baiji city and refinery, al-Hashd al-Shaabi’s media office said. In Anbar province, the military operations will be in Karna, northeast of Falluja, and around Ramadi, it said.
ISIS fighters swept into Ramadi on May 17, tightening control of the Anbar province and gaining a base of operations 70 miles away from Baghdad. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter publicly criticized the Iraqi army, saying it lacked the will to fight.