Iraq takes Akkas gas field from Islamic State control

Iraqi security forces are gaining control of the Akkas gas field, as they prosecute the final phase of an offensive to dislodge the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) militant group from the deserts of western Anbar province.

"Engineering teams from the [Iraqi Army's] 7th Division are working on defusing improvised explosive devices, so security forces can advance and retake the whole field," said Abu Mahath al-Jughaifi, one of the leaders of a tribal paramilitary operating under the government's al-Hashid al-Shabi (Popular Mobilization) program, in a Tuesday interview.