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Iraq's Anbar eyes political battle as displaced return

The competition for May's election has already started among Anbar's politicians, while there are still many IS sleeper cells in the province.
Iraqi army soldiers take down an Islamic State flag in the town of Hit in Anbar province, Iraq October 10, 2016. Picture taken October 10 2016. REUTERS/Stringer     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY      - S1BEUGLUULAA

HADITHA, Iraq — Two months after government forces retook Iraq’s last major city from the Islamic State (IS), the country is preparing for parliamentary elections slated for May.

Anbar, its largest and westernmost region, is where IS took control of its first Iraqi city in January 2014. Fighters from the international terrorist group are reportedly still hiding in parts of its vast desert.

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