Security forces secure former ISIS haven in western Iraq

Shafaq News – Baghdad

On Friday, Iraq's Defense Ministry confirmed the complete "elimination of terrorists" in Hauran valley (Wadi Hauran) in western al-Anbar province through establishing multiple defense lines and redistributing security sectors.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Defense Ministry Media and Moral Guidance Director Brigadier General Tahseen al-Khafaji revealed that forces recently secured the 370-kilometer valley stretching from north of Tharthar to the Iraqi-Saudi border, which previously served as an "ISIS haven."

According to al-Khafaji, the operation targeted a crossroads junction between al-Jazeera and al-Anbar operations commands with a geographical impact on Karbala, Baghdad, Saladin, and western Nineveh.

Iraqi forces implemented a layered security plan starting with reinforced border guard units along the Iraqi-Syrian frontier, backed by army and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), followed by additional defensive positions protecting major cities.

The operation comes as Iraq witnesses the first phase of Global Coalition withdrawal, amid American warnings of expanding regional ISIS and al-Qaeda activities.

Iraqi and Syrian military experts have told Shafaq News that those warnings are "genuine" and require serious attention through border control, security gap management, and enhanced regional coordination between Baghdad, Syria's new government, and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).