Iraq: Army enters strategic city of Hit, continues to battle IS

Iraqi Army forces entered the city of Hit in Anbar province on Friday, after Iraqi counter-terrorism units backed by army troops and US-led coalition air strikes had made gains in the region a day earlier.
Scores of fighters from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) were reportedly killed in the assault, forcing the rest of the militants to retreat northwards.
An Army general told local media that Iraqi units had seized control of Hit's industrial district and the Hit gas plant, with the rest of the city yet to be retaken.
Hit lies on the Euphrates River, 145 km (90 miles) west of Baghdad and 70 km (44 miles) northwest of Ramadi, making it a strategic location between the Ayn al-Assad military airbase and the Anbar province capital, Ramadi. The offensive to re-capture Hit is part of a larger push to re-take Mosul in the north.