The army has cleansed Iraq's western desert of al-Qaeda, the Iraqi Defence Ministry said Saturday (June 16th).

Army forces on Friday evening completed a three-month campaign and imposed control over Iraq's desert areas from Fallujah to its international borders with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, Lt. Gen. Tariq al-Azzawi, the Anbar military operations commander, told Al-Shorfa.

During the campaign, the army destroyed three al-Qaeda hideouts -- including a training camp in the deep valley -- arrested 64 al-Qaeda fighters and seized 5 tons of explosives, around 500 mortars and 200 Katyusha and Grad missiles, al-Azzawi said.

The army also set up military barracks and bases in the desert to prevent al-Qaeda fighters from returning, he said.