Iraqi Shia militias liberate 39 villages west of Mosul: Spokesperson

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Iranian-backed Shia militia Hashd al-Shaabi has liberated 39 villages from the Islamic State (IS) in western Mosul, said the spokesperson of the army on Tuesday.

Ahmad Asadi, the spokesperson for Hashd al-Shaabi, told the militia’s media the group had retaken 39 villages in the western part of Mosul, northern Iraq.

The operation began on Oct. 29 where the militiamen advanced toward Tala’far town.

“Our forces are largely moving forward toward the objected areas, which is liberating more villages and locations [from IS],” Asadi said.

The militia’s central objective is to retake Tala’far located 30 kilometers in the west of Mosul.

The town has been under the control of the insurgent group since June 2014 following their emergence in northern Iraq.

According to 2014 statistics, Tala’far has a population of 200,000 people, most of them ethnically Turkmen.

On Monday, Iraqi counter-terrorism forces entered the first district of Mosul from the east, called Karama.

The advance followed after Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces surrounded the IS extremists from several front lines, including the north, east, and south of Mosul.

IS occupied Mosul in June 2014 and began to control large swaths of territory in the country, including Nineveh, Diyala, Salahaddin, and Anbar provinces.

Since then, IS has lost most of the areas they once held, and the group continues to shrink.

The Mosul offensive was launched on Oct. 17 from the east of the city.

Moreover, the operation marked the first time since 2003 both Kurdish and Iraqi forces jointly fought together against an enemy.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany