About 1,200 families fled southeast Mosul from IS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Approximately 1,200 families have left the town of al-Shirqat, southeast of Mosul, fleeing from the Islamic State (IS), said the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement on Wednesday.

Mosul is the second-largest city in Iraq and has been under the control of the jihadists since June 2014.

The Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement announced that over 600 families have previously fled from IS in Shirqat and moved to the city of Baiji in the south.

The Ministry also mentioned that services such as shelters, food, and medicines had been provided for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Baiji.

According to the Ministry’s report, in the last two days, nearly 580 families have escaped from jihadists in Shirqat and sheltered near the city of Tikrit, southern Salahaddin Province.

The Ministry also expects more people to flee from Shirqat in the future as Iraqi security forces are preparing to launch a military offensive against IS.

On June 18, the Defense Minister of Iraq Khalid al-Obeidi stated that military operations to liberate areas from IS will continue. He pointed to Salahaddin Province, southern Mosul, and northern Baghdad where advances had already started.

Recently, Iraqi counter-terrorism forces freed two villages in the north of Salahaddin. The two liberated villages were Albu Amera and Ain al-Baiza.

Offensives have begun to focus on the southeast of Mosul, especially after security forces controlled Fallujah, a key IS city, located in the west of Baghdad.

Following the liberation of Fallujah, the Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al-Abadi and Obeidi stated that Mosul would be the next target.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany