Iraqi planes drop leaflets in Mosul, inform residents of victories

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Iraqi military planes on Saturday dropped millions of leaflets and newspapers in the sky above Mosul, informing people in the city about the current victories of the Iraq security forces around the area. 

In a statement, the Joint Operation Command of the Iraqi security forces said their planes had dropped millions of leaflets and newspapers from the sky in Mosul, the second-largest city in northern Iraq.

Mosul has been under the control of the Islamic State (IS) since June 2015.

According to the statement, the purpose of dropping the leaflets was to inform the people in the city about the latest victories achieved by the Iraqi security forces in liberating the territories inside and around Mosul.

The people of Mosul have been largely deprived of information and news from outside the city as the extremist group hindered residents from having access to TV and digital media.

Moreover, the leaflets also asked the residents to avoid IS positions and help the security forces as they fight the insurgents from different front lines inside and around Mosul.

Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces launched the military operation of retaking Mosul from IS on Oct. 17.

Since then, the forces have freed large swaths of territory and already entered the city from the east and northeastern sides. The offensive is ongoing.

Iraqi planes often drop leaflets to update the people of Mosul with the latest developments.

In September, Iraqi planes dropped seven million leaflets on IS-held areas inside and around Mosul, which was the largest number of leaflets dropped in the world in the past decades.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany