The Iraqi army launched a large-scale military campaign Friday (August 10th) to locate al-Qaeda members in the Tharthar basin area between Anbar and Salaheddine provinces, according to the Salaheddine operations command.

"The campaign was launched after information was received about the presence of a large group of al-Qaeda members in that area, three months after a similar campaign in which scores of al-Qaeda members were killed and wounded," Brig. Gen. Ali Alwan, director of political and moral guidance for the command centre, told Al-Shorfa.

"Hundreds of army personnel, assisted by a military aviation unit, police dogs and an engineering unit specialised in detecting explosives, are now conducting large-scale search operations," he said