Iraq launched an offensive on Thursday to capture the last Iraqi territory held by Islamic State, the areas of Rawa and al-Qaim, a town just over the border from the Syrian town of Albu Kamal, which is also held by the jihadists. “Right now, we are seeing the buildup of (IS) defenses in both al-Qaim and in Albu Kamal,” Colonel Ryan Dillon told Reuters by phone, adding that Islamic State’s leadership had shifted to Albu Kamal from towns deeper into Syria. Albu Kamal is in the crosshairs of both the US-led coalition and the Syrian government and its Iranian-backed militia allies. Dillon said IS fighters were now “much different fighters” from the ones the US-led coalition fought leading up to the battle for Mosul, the Iraqi city recaptured from IS in June. “We have not seen this fight to the death that we saw in Mosul, and I think it is attributed much to their morale,” he said.

Source: bd News24 October 27, 2017 14:48 UTC