BAGHDAD, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A leader of paramilitary Hashd Shaabi in Iraq's western province of Anbar said Sunday that a few hundreds of Islamic State (IS) militants are resorting to desert and rugged areas across the province.
"There are only a few hundreds of Daesh (IS group) spread in small groups in desert and rugged areas. They are weak and do not constitute any threat to the cities and towns of the province as the security forces and tribal fighters are always ready to fight them," said Tariq al-Asal, deputy commander of Anbar's tribal fighters, who are affiliated with the government-backed Hashd Shaabi brigades.
Al-Asal said "our borders with Syria are not completely secured, however; all the security forces are trying to prevent infiltration of IS militants into the Iraqi territory after the defeat of IS group in neighboring Syria."
Late last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said that "IS militants are surrounded in Syria and trying to exploit any gap, but we will not allow any infiltration to Iraq."
The comments of the Iraqi officials came after the battles of liberating the last IS stronghold in Baghouz, which was the last IS-held area in the eastern Euphrates River region in Syria's eastern Deir al-Zour province.
Separately, the international coalition aircraft on Saturday carried out an airstrike, based on intelligence reports, on an IS hideout in the desert area near the town of Hit, some 160 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, destroying the hideout and killing the extremist militants inside, a provincial security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
In December 2017, Iraq declared full liberation of its land after the Iraqi security forces and the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units, backed by anti-IS international coalition, recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group.
However, small groups and individuals of IS militants melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas looking for safe havens. They are still capable of carrying out attacks from time to time against the security forces and civilians.
