Baiji is safe from ISIS after blocking the infiltration routes from Al-Anbar

Shafaq News / A local official in Saladin revealed today, Thursday, the security forces in the governorate has tightened the control over the infiltration routes of ISIS militants from Al-Anbar Governorate towards Baiji district.

The mayor of Baiji district, Saad Khazaal, told Shafaq News agency that security reinforcements of various types are taking over the district borders with the town of Haditha in Al-Anbar Governorate, as they cut off the passage of ISIS militants towards the district and secure it from any terrorist attacks.

Khazaal stressed that Baiji district has become protected from effective terrorist threats, as no attacks were registered against residential areas or administrative units except for minor attacks outside the cities, usually targeting the security forces or Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi.

Regarding the delay in the return of the citizens displaced from the district, he explained, "There is no security, tribal or terrorist threats preventing the return of the displaced. However, the service facilities required for the return are still lacking or incomplete", indicating that plans and efforts to rehabilitate service sectors in those areas are underway.

Baiji district is located in the north of Saladin Governorate and has a population of about 175,000. The district fell in the hands of ISIS in 2014 before liberating by the Iraqi forces a year later.