Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi speaks at a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, March 18, 2015. Iraqi Defense Minister on Wednesday said that the country's western province of Anbar is vital to launch a major offensive to liberate the city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) militants, while clashes with IS militants continued in the west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. (Xinhua/Khaleem Kadhim)
