Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on April 8 the country's "next battle" is retaking western province of Anbar, most of which is under the Islamic State (IS) group's control.
"We will prevail in Anbar as we prevailed in Tikrit," Abadi said on his official Facebook page, referring to Iraqi forces' liberation of the strategic city of Tikrit last week.
Abadi visited Anbar, a predominantly Sunni region, on April 8 as Iraqi forces launched a new offensive against IS militants there.
Army officers said IS militants were driven back from Fallujah and the Sijariya area east of provincial capital, Ramadi.
Military sources said the purpose of clearing Sijariya was to secure supply routes to the nearby Habbaniya air base and to weaken the militants' grip on territory connecting Ramadi and Fallujah – the region's two key cities.