Iraqi military forces, backed by tribal militias and police, attacked the area around the Anbar city of Haditha today, trying to secure a key supply line for their planned massive military offensive against the Anbar Province.
The tribal militias were reportedly Sunnis, some of the few Sunni forces that are backing the Iraqi government, and the goal is to open up a route between Iraqi government territory and the Ayn al-Asad airbase, where US ground troops are positioned.
At the same time, several major ISIS bombings were carried out in the area around metro Baghdad, with the largest such attack hitting the New Baghdad district, where 16 were killed and 48 were wounded. The attacks centered around Shi’ite districts.
At present, ISIS controls the vast majority of Anbar, Iraq’s largest province, as well as portions of several other provinces. The Iraqi military has vowed to retake the territory, but the offensives have so far amounted to little.