Last Islamic State-Controlled Iraqi Town Closed In On By Iraqi Armed Forces

South Front: Iraqi Armed Forces fight the Islamic State.

Iraqi Armed Forces have closed in on and have begun advancing on the final town under Islamic State occupation in Iraq. The town of Rawa is located along the northern banks of the Euphrates, about 50 miles from the Syrian border, and has been under Islamic State control since the militant group’s initial massive territory grab back in 2014. The move to retake Rawa is part of the final phase of the Iraqi Armed Forces’ campaign against the Islamic State, which has concentrated on securing the Euphrates River moving westward towards Syria. This final offensive, being carried out by the Iraqi military alongside allied Sunni tribal forces, will effectively eliminate IS-controlled territory in Iraq. On the other side of the border in neighboring Syria, the current situation is rapidly improving regarding the battle against the Islamic State. On the Syrian side of the Euphrates, the Syrian Armed Forces are engaged in a successful offensive against IS, recovering towns and villages in Deir ez-Zor Province from the Islamic State. In a desperate counterattack by IS, the militant group conducted an operation to take back the town of Albu Kamal in Syria, which the Syrian government had only recently taken. Albu Kamal is the last significant urban stronghold that IS controls in Syria, and its attempts to cling onto the town illustrate the imploding nature of the “Caliphate” and its inevitable demise. While almost all of the Islamic State’s physical territory in Syria and Iraq has largely been recaptured, many, including British Commodore Johnny Stringer, say that the group will likely transform into an insurgent organization which continues to launch terrorist attacks in the Middle East and elsewhere.