PHOTOS: Iraqi army frees Arab village near Makhmour
The Iraqi army liberated the village of Mahana, near Makhmour, according to an army officer on Wednesday.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi army liberated the village of Mahana, near Makhmour, according to an army officer on Wednesday.
Amin Shekhani, an Iraqi army officer in Makhmour, told Kurdistan24 that the army has freed the village of Mahana from the Islamic State (IS), with the help of US-led coalition warplanes.
“The army approached the village at 7:00 a.m. and completely pushed IS out before noon,” he said.
The area contains more than 100 homes, mostly populated by Arab people.
Regarding the casualties, Shekhani noted that the attack inflicted heavy damage on the IS extremists.
“Eight IS bodies have been left in the village and remain in the hands of the Iraqi soldiers,” he said.
Last week, the Defense Ministry of Iraq released an announcement stating that 57 civilians have been freed in the villages of Mahana and Makoki in northern Iraq after a military operation.
There are over 5,000 Iraqi soldiers stationed in Makhmour, aiming to launch military procedures against IS and advance toward the capital of the extremist group’s caliphate, Mosul, in northern Iraq.
Previously, Iraqi officers in Makhmour told Kurdistan24 that the advance of the Iraqi army is slow due to the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the area planted by IS.
Mahana and other villages near Makhmour fell in the hands of the extremists in August 2014 following IS attacks on Sinjar (Shingal) and Makhmour areas.
Reporting by Mewan Dolamari
Editing by Ava Homa and Karzan Sulaivany
Photos by Alexandre Afonso