Units from the Iraqi army, the Counter-Terrorism Services, Sunni tribal, and Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization forces are participating in an offensive to recapture al-Qaim and Rawa, two towns on the border area with Syria.

Welcoming the offensive, the US-led international military coalition, which has run an air campaign against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in both Syria and Iraq since 2014, said in a statement that approximately 1,500 Islamic State fighters were estimated to remain in the immediate vicinity of al-Qaim.