BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – Iraqi army soldiers, backed by allied fighters from Popular Mobilization Units, have fully liberated a village in the country’s beleaguered western province of Anbar from the grip of Daesh terrorist group as operations continue to win back the terrorist-held areas there.
Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news network reported on Tuesday that Iraq's government troops and their allies had managed to retake al-Rayhaniyah.
Earlier, the media bureau of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) had announced the start of an operation to reclaim the town of Anah and the nearby village of al-Rayhaniyah.
The head of Anah's municipal council, Abdel Karim al-Ani, confirmed the onset of the offensive, noting that security forces had opened a road out of the town to allow civilians to flee.
Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah stated that infantry units and members of the Federal Police Force, supported by fighters from Popular Mobilization Units – commonly known by their Arabic name, Hashd al-Sha’abi, were involved in the offensive against Daesh terrorists.
A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the operation was "developing along three axes,” noting that Iraqi army helicopters and fighter jets from the so-called US-led coalition were providing air support for forces on the ground.
Separately, two high-ranking Daesh commanders were killed when an Iraqi unmanned aerial vehicle conducted an assault in the central province of Salahuddin.
A local source said the aerial assault targeted a vehicle as it was travelling along an agricultural road on the outskirts of al-Shirqat town.
One of those killed was reportedly an assistant to Daesh’s security commander in eastern Shirqat, while another was a chief vigilante in the town’s countryside.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration says more than 12,000 internally displaced persons have return of to their hometowns in the northern province of Nineveh.
Jawan Mahmoud, a provincial official, said 12.553 refugees have left camps across the province as well as the northern city of Dohuk, and returned to their native regions.
Mahmoud added that the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, in coordination with the Ministry of Transportation, has earmarked dozens of trucks for transporting the refugees’ furniture and other possessions.
Furthermore, at least three people lost their lives and nearly three dozen others sustained injuries when two bombers blew themselves up inside a restaurant frequented by Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters in the town of Hajaj.
"Two attackers detonated their explosive belts in a restaurant in Hajaj, killing three people and wounding 34. A third assailant was shot dead by security forces,” Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan said in a statement.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly attack, but such assaults bear the hallmarks of those carried out by Daesh terrorists.  
Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh terrorists mounted an offensive there more than two years ago, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.