It included stepped-up coordination with Shia militias such as Moqtada al-Sadr's Jaish al-Mahdi as well as Syrian-backed Sunni Arab groups and al-Qaida in Mesopotamia, he added.
"Indications are that it appears many honorable members of Jaish al-Mahdi are fulfilling Sadr's pledge of honor to stop attacks and reduce the violence, " the military said, using the Arabic name for the Mehdi Army.