Iraqi forces begin operation to retake town from Islamic State group

IRBIL, Iraq — In a push at dawn, Iraqi forces opened an operation Thursday to retake the town of Hawija — one of the last extremist strongholds in Iraq — from the Islamic State group, according to a statement from the Iraqi prime minister’s office.

The operation began just two days after Iraqi forces began an offensive against Islamic State holdouts in Iraq’s vast western Anbar province, said Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Hawija, 150 miles north of Baghdad, is one of the last pockets of territory held by the extremist group in the country.