Sunni militia launches offensive in northern Mosul

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Sunni militia known as Hashd al-Watani launched a military offensive against jihadists in northern Mosul on early Saturday morning.

Kurdistan24 reporter Masoud Mohamad stated that Hashd al-Watani began an offensive on the west of Bashik town, located in northern Mosul, against the Islamic State (IS) at 4:00 a.m.

The offensive aimed to liberate the village of Kanuna, located on the west of Bashik. Mohamad mentioned that the operation was supported by the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the international coalition warplanes.

“The militia has surrounded the village, and Peshmerga forces critically shell the village with artilleries,” he said. “The clashes between the militia and IS continues.”

Mohamad also noted that according to the information obtained by the militia, only some IS snipers remain in the village.

A Peshmerga commander on Bashik front, whose name is not mentioned, told Kurdistan24 that it is the first attack conducted mainly by the Sunni militia against insurgents.

Hashd al-Watani militia consists of thousands of Sunni volunteers, who are originally from the city of Mosul and Nineveh Province in northern Iraq. They moved to the Kurdistan Region in June 2014, following the emergence of IS in Nineveh. Additionally, the militia was trained by Turkish military advisers near the town of Bashik.

The militia’s advance is part of the military operation of liberating Mosul from IS that has already begun from different fronts. According to statements from some Iraqi officials, 2016 will be the end of IS in the country.

Reporting by Mewan Dolamari
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany