Members of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces take their positions during clashes with the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the city of Ramadi June 19, 2014. Reuters BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq has announced the launch of an operation to drive the Islamic State group out of the western Anbar province, where the extremists captured the provincial capital earlier this month.

Iraqi state TV on Tuesday announced the start of the operation, in which troops will be backed by Shiite and Sunni paramilitary forces, but did not provide further details.

The Islamic State group seized large parts of Anbar starting in early 2014 and captured the provincial capital, Ramadi, earlier this month. The fall of Ramadi marked a major defeat for Iraqi forces, which had been making steady progress against the extremists over the past year with the help of U.S.-led airstrikes.