After Mosul, Iraq's western Anbar next up in IS fight
An Iraqi offensive against the Islamic State is likely to take place in the near future in the western Anbar province, with the city of Haditha being the gateway to the region.
HADITHA, Iraq – As the Tal Afar military campaign starts farther north in Ninevah province, preparations are underway to retake parts of the western Anbar region still under the control of the Islamic State (IS). Haditha, located about 240 kilometers (150 miles) northwest of Baghdad, is the nearest city to the front from which the Anbar offensive will be conducted.
Along a key juncture between northern oil wells and other parts of Iraq and home to the Haditha Dam, as well as being near the al-Asad airbase where US forces train their Iraqi counterparts, the city managed to avoid falling completely under IS control.
Coalition airstrikes and much-needed supplies that arrived via helicopter helped the inhabitants and fighters to survive when besieged and to take back the areas that were temporarily captured by the insurgents.
The siege nevertheless took a major toll on the inhabitants and the economic prospects of the strategically located city. Key infrastructure near it was severely damaged and has not yet been rebuilt.
