Iraqi army awaits Shirqat liberation to enter Qayyarah from Makhmour

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Iraqi army has stopped advancing in the southeastern Mosul, waiting for the liberation of the town of al-Shirqat in the north of Salahaddin Province, said an Iraqi military officer on Thursday.

The military offensive of freeing areas from the Islamic State (IS) in the north of Salahaddin Province, especially Shirqat, started almost 15 days ago. The Iraqi army has so far liberated several villages in the area, aiming to advance toward Qayyarah in the north of Shirqat from different directions.

“We are waiting for the army to free Shirqat so that we can advance toward Qayyarah,” said an Iraqi army officer located on Makhmour front line who did not want to be identified.

[The map showing the location of the two towns in Iraq, Qayyarah (first flag in the north) and Shirqat (second flag) in the south of Mosul. July 7, 2016. (Photo: National Geographic map edited by Kurdistan24)]

The officer also mentioned that on July 5, Iraqi army advanced until Qayyarah Bridge which is now destroyed. “After the liberation of Shirqat, we will use military type bridges to enter Qayyarah,” he said.

Qayyarah is a town located near Tigris river, far from Mosul.

He also revealed that in the attacks, two Iraqi soldiers have been killed and six other wounded. The officer believes that dozens of jihadists have been killed during the July attack.

The officer stated that the international coalition warplanes did not participate in the offensives. He noted that the army used mortars, artilleries, and tanks among many other heavy weapons to attack IS.

On Thursday, Iraqi Defense Ministry announced that Iraqi security forces have repelled jihadist attacks near Shirqat and have killed about 40 militants.

Iraqi security forces offensives in the north of Salahaddin Province are part of the larger military operation to retake the city of Mosul from IS. Mosul has been under the control of the jihadists since June 2014.

Recently, the US special envoy Brett McGurk stated that IS has lost 50 percent of territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria, mentioning that the group continues to shrink as their militants are losing the morale to fight for the Caliphate.

Editing by Ava Homa