Iraqi Forces Recapture City of Hit From Daesh Takfiri Militants

Iraqi forces have recaptured the city of Hit located in Anbar Province from Daesh Takfiri militants following weeks of fighting, the military says. 

“Units from the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) completely liberated Hit,” Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said in a statement on Thursday.

CTS spokesman Sabah al-Noman said the recapture of the city was completed on Thursday, adding that Hit “is cleared of any Daesh gunmen.”

The recapture marks the latest defeat inflicted by the Iraqi forces on the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the country.

Iraqi forces entered Hit, located northwest of the provincial city of Ramadi, on April 4.

The liberation of Hit comes less than a month after Iraqi forces recaptured the nearby city of Kubaysah.

In December 2015, Iraqi forces made their biggest victory against Daesh group in Anbar, recapturing Ramadi which had been seized by Takfiri militants last spring.

Preparations are underway for the recapture of Fallujah, which is the second largest city in the western violence-hit province.

Over the past months, Daesh has lost a significant portion of the territories it used to control in Anbar and other provinces to Iraqi forces.

Parliament tensions hindering Iraq’s major reforms, says al-Abadi

On the other hand, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has called on lawmakers to exercise self-restraint amid political tensions at the parliament which have delayed a vote on his cabinet reshuffle.

Abadi warned that divisions in the parliament would hinder his efforts to implement reform plans.

The Iraqi parliament has witnessed a tumultuous week amid a political rift which has thrice prevented a vote on the list of new ministers.

On Thursday, the parliament cancelled a vote on the cabinet overhaul and voted to unseat speaker Salim al-Jabouri and his deputies. Lawmakers also appointed Adnan al-Janabi, a senior tribal leader, as the acting head of the parliament.

Jabouri dismissed the session as unconstitutional because he and the premier were not present and the vote had failed to reach the required quorum.

Prime Minister Abadi said the row at the parliament is against the spirit of reforms, which undermines Iraq’s unity in the face of its security challenges.

He warned that a political crisis engulfing the country could hamper the war against Daesh militants.

“The conflict has crippled parliament … and could obstruct the work of the government, impacting the heroic operations to free our cities and villages (from Daesh),” Abadi said in a statement issued late on Thursday.

He called on all political parties to remain calm and pave the way for dialog to help the government move forward with the planned reforms.

The reforms, he said, are only part of a wider reform plan aimed eliminating corruption at state institutions and addressing the country’s economic woes.

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