After al-Hasakeh prisonbreak, Iraqi security forces launch a security operation to clear al-Anbar's western desert

Shafaq News/ A joint security force carried out a wide-scale campaign to clear the western desert of al-Anbar in anticipation for potential ISIS attacks on the cities of the governorate, a source revealed on Sunday.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that the force marched through the desert of al-Qaim, al-Rutba, and Haditha to ensure its free of ISIS presence.

"The operation comes in response to the command's directives stipulating tighter security measures in the aftermath of the Ghuwayran prison break in northeast Syria," the source said.

The operation aims to secure the western areas, establish full control on all the main and side roads, and preclude the infiltration of Ghuwayran escapees into the Iraqi territory, according to the source.

A source revealed that troops were deployed along the highway leading to the Iraqi capital, particularly near the Abu Ghreib facility, in anticipation of any terrorist attack resembling Friday's on the Ghuwayran prison in northeast Syria.

The source said that the Hawks (al-Suqour) checkpoint has been completely closed, halting traffic into Baghdad from the western governorates, amid tight security measures on the highway.

The Iraqi military ramped up security precautions at the Iraqi borders with Syria in the aftermath of the Ghuwayran prison break orchestrated by ISIS terrorist groups in the Syrian city of al-Hasakeh.

In a statement to Shafaq News Agency, the commander of western Nineveh Operations, Major-General Jabbar al-Taie said, "the borders with Syria are secured. The Iraqi forces has dug a three-meter depth, ond-meter height, and three-meter width trench. The trench was supported by a thirty meter high earth brem."

"ISIS militants who escaped the prison in al-Hasakeh will not be able to cross the borders," he added, "the defenses are enhanced by aerial and artillery coverage. By the coordination and cooperation of all the military formations, we will arrest them and bring them to justice."

At least 45 ISIS militants were killed in the clashes that erupted between the fighters of the terrorist organization and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the vicinity of the

Ghuwayran prison in al-Hasakeh, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

Yesterday, SOHR director, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said that 28 Asayish members and five civilians perished in the clashes.

The extremist group staged a brazen assault on the prison located in northeastern Syria, provoking intense clashes with the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces and causing dozens of casualties.

The attack on Ghuwaryan prison is one of the most serious Islamic State operations in years and started Thursday night with a revolt by inmates and the detonation of a car bomb near the jail by Islamic State fighters. Fighting then spread into the town and continued throughout Friday and Saturday.

The first wave of the attack occurred late at night on 20 January, when Islamic State forces launched a car bomb attack targeting the prison whilst Islamic State ground fighters began to open fire on the prison with heavy weapons. Fires could be seen across the city coming from the direction of the prison.

The attack triggered a prison riot where the prisoners successfully managed to obtain weaponry from the armory and then began a full-blown attack on the prison staff. The prison was subsequently occupied by armed prisoners and several prisoners managed to escape.

Clashes continued into the next day, by which Islamic State fighters had spread to the Al-Zouhour area of Al-Hasakah city as well as solidified control of the Ghuwayran prison. In an effort to support Kurdish forces fighting in the city, forces of the International Coalition had dispatched military aircraft to the area.

SDF forces also announced that they had managed to track down and arrest 89 of the prisoners that had escaped the prison. It was also reported that the electricity to several parts of Al-Hasakah city had been cut off due to the clashes.During the clashes, it was reported that U.S fighter jets had conducted two airstrikes on Islamic State held buildings in the city.

The SOHR reported that clashes continued between Islamic State and Kurdish forces over control of the prison and its surrounding areas.

During the evening and night of 21 January, Coalition jets fired flares above Al-Hasakah whilst heavy clashes were reported to be taking place around the Islamic State-controlled Ghuwayran prison and the occupied neighbourhoods of Ghuwayran and Al-Zouhour. The Islamic State militants that were in control of the prison had also reportedly taken several hostages. Coalition jets were also targeting a group of Islamic State militants that had occupied the 'Faculty of Economics' building situated next to the prison.