Iraqi Forces Liberate 7 Villages near Mosul

On Wednesday, three more Iraqi villages were liberated from terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) group by the Iraqi Federal Police, while the Popular Mobilization Units managed to recapture four other villages in western Mosul.

On Wednesday, three more Iraqi villages: Bazireh, al-Khafsan and Shahloub, were liberated from terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) group by the Iraqi Federal Police, Chief of the Iraq’s Federal Police, Raed Shaker Jowdat, reported on his Facebook page. He also added that the Federal Police is currently just 16 km away from the international Mosul airport.

Control over al-Katieh in the western parts of Hamam al-Alil in southern Mosul was also established by the Federal Police of Iraq.

Meanwhile, the ancient al-Saif hill, the villages of Khabirat and Um al-Izam, located in the western part of Mosul, were liberated by the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as the People’s Mobilization Forces (PMF) or the Hashd al-Shaabi.

The official media wing of the Hashd al-Shaabi also reported about liberation of Al-Alzim and Khabirat villages, located near the key town or Tal Al-Seif Al-Ithari in western Mosul.

Since the PMF have started their offensive in western Mosul, the popular forces managed to liberate about 30 miles (50 km) of the territory from IS terrorists.

Earlier today, Jowdat reported that IS positions in central Mosul were also attacked by the Iraq’s Federal Police from three flanks, after policemen broke through terrorists’ defense lines.

“We have annihilated the entire first defense lines of the ISIS in southern Mosul, and our military units, backed up by army’s artillery units and Iraqi fighter jets, are advancing towards center of Mosul,” the Chief of the Federal Police said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Home Affairs, Col. Saad Moen, said that 778 members of the IS have been killed by army’s troops on the ‘southern fronts’ of the operation to liberate the city of Mosul, while 375 terrorists have lost their lives during airstrikes of the Iraqi Air Force. He also added that about 895 miles (1440 km) of land in the surrounding province of Nineveh have been liberated in the offensive.

At the same time, the Kurdish forces said that over the past few days, the Peshmerga killed more than 480 ISIS members during its operation to liberate Mosul.