Pentagon: ISIS pushed out of Al Baghdadi

The Pentagon announced Friday that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been pushed out of Al Baghdadi, a town in western Iraq just five miles from an air base where hundreds of Marines are stationed. 

“Iraqi Security Forces and Tribal Fighters from the Anbar region have successfully cleared Al Baghdadi of [ISIS], retaking both the police station and three Euphrates River bridges,” said defense officials from the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. 

Furthermore, they said, Iraqi forces with coalition support have pushed ISIS from seven villages northwest of Al Baghdadi.

Coalition officials said they executed 26 airstrikes to facilitate Iraqi forces. 

“In addition to airstrikes, the coalition supported the operation with surveillance assets and Advise and Assist teams who provided operational and intelligence assistance” to Iraqi officials, the report said.

The Pentagon’s announcement on Al Baghdadi represents a victory for the coalition about a month after ISIS captured the city. Officials noted that the Euphrates River bridges have been held by ISIS since last September. 

“Iraqi Security Forces now hold the gains they have made and are postured to retake additional territory from [ISIS] in the Anbar region,” officials said.