Iraqi armed forces and Shiite militias have launched an attack on ISIL positions in the district of Saqlawiyah, 72 kilometers west of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad.  

Iraqi troops want to secure the district before launching an assault on the strategic city of Fallujah, one of the last remaining ISIL strongholds in Iraq. The U.S. government says coalition air and artillery strikes have already killed 70 ISIL fighters in the city, including ISIL’s leader Maher Al-Bilawi.