The Iraqi army has stepped up efforts to retake the town of al-Baghdadi from ISIL militants.<br /><br /> According to the senior US commander of coalition efforts in Iraq and Syria, forces have secured an area near a key American air base. <br /><br /> Lieutenant General James Terry estimated more than 800 Iraqi forces were engaged and said the US-led coalition had also carried out some air strikes. The timing of the strikes is unclear.<br /><br /> He implied the militants were retreating – a sign of success for the alliance after the jihadists swept through northern Iraq in summer 2014.<br /><br /> However, a video released by ISIL on Monday (February 23) purports to show heavy fighting in al-Baghdadi. It seems to contradict a statement by Sabah Karhut, the head of Anbar Provincial Council, who claimed Iraqi security forces had recaptured the police station and reached the centre of the disputed town.<br /><br /> Meanwhile, France has stepped up its campaign against the militant forces. On February 23, it deployed an aircraft carrier
