Iraqi government forces have launched simultaneous offensives against the Islamic State's last stronghold on the Euphrates river and Kurdish forces in the northwest in an apparent bid to take control of key crossing points on the Syrian border. "Today we began an operation to liberate the last Daesh [Islamic State] stronghold," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced in a statement. "We have rejected the idea of containing Daesh and decided to eliminate it because its survival would be a danger to all." The US-led coalition said on the same day that it was supporting the Iraqi operation to capture Al-Qaim district, saying there are approximately 1,500 Islamic State fighters in the area.
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