Iraqi troops target Islamic State remnants near Syria border

"The offensive to free al-Rumana, north of Qaim, was launched on Wednesday with participation of security troops and tribes," Qutri al-Obeidi, a senior leader with Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces) in al-Baghdadi region in Anbar, told Al Sumaria News.

"Troops managed to free al-Rumana bridge, which links the centre of the region to Qaim," Obeidi said.

Home to around 8,900 people, mostly from Sunni tribes, Rumana is located on the north side of the Euphrates in west Anbar Governorate.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced on Friday the liberation of Qaim "in record time" – just over a week since announcing the offensive targeting the last Iraqi remnants of the self-styled caliphate IS declared after rampaging across Iraq and Syria in 2014.

Abadi visited Qaim and the nearby Husaybah border crossing in Western Iraq on Sunday, al-Iraqiya TV said, raising the Iraqi flag.

Both areas sit along what was once an important supply route used by IS.

Iraqi forces are targeting IS areas on the Syria border [click to enlarge]

The capture of Qaim – with the support of a US-led international coalition – marked the end of the conventional war against IS, coalition officials said.

The militants are expected to rely more on insurgent-style attacks now that they no longer hold significant territory.

The Iraq Report is a weekly feature at The New Arab.