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The Iraqi army raided several insurgent targets on Monday in the town of Jurf al-Sakhr, some 60 kilometers to the southwest of Baghdad, on Monday, killing 17 people, including 3 civilians, during the raids.
According to local tribal sources, the raid targeted that Fadhiyya district at 01:00 a.m. local time, and a child and two women were among those killed during the raids. Twelve others were also wounded in the raids, and some of them were reportedly transferred to insurgent stronghold Fallujah in the province of Anbar. According to security sources, the Iraqi army had used a wide array of weapons to target the insurgents overnight.
Jurf al-Sakhr, primarily a Sunni town, lies in the Babil province, and is the scene of fighting between Sunni militants and pro-government forces almost every day. Militants from extremist group Islamic State (IS) launched a sweeping offensive through eastern and northern Iraq on June 9th, conquering the city of Mosul and other parts of the country.Jurf al-Sakhr lies on the perimeter of the region known as the “triangle of death” during sectarian violence that had taken place eight years ago.
The Iraqi army and other Shiite militias like the Asaib Ahl al-Haq take up positions in Jurf al-Sakhr during the day but pull back during the night, which allows insurgents to plant explosives roadside. The loss of the town to insurgents would threaten Iraq government control over one of the two main roads that link Baghdad to Shi’ite heartland in the south, including the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
The city of Fallujah is separated from the IS desert stronghold on the Iraqi-Syrian border by several government-controlled pockets, most notably the city of Ramadi in the province of Anbar. According to Major General Ahmad Saddag al-Dulaimi, the province’s police chief, tribal fighters allied to the government and policemen beat off a militant attack on Ramadi on Sunday.