Iraqi Forces Liberate More areas in Kirkuk
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The forces of the Iraqi army backed by Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, managed to liberate several more areas near al-Hawija in the northern province of Kirkuk from the Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group.
As part of a massive operation to liberate Hawija, the Iraqi troops managed to recapture a village northeast of the Rashad district in Kirkuk Province, the Arabic-language al Mayadeen TV reported.
They also liberated several other areas, including al-Soghra village northeast of Hawija, from Daesh terrorists.
On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the launch of the "second phase" of the operation to retake the Daesh-held Hawija.
Brigadier General Yahia Rasoul, a spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, said on September 21 that the number of Daesh militants in Hawijah falls between 800 and 1500.
Abadi announced the operation in an online statement on the same day, saying it is the “first stage of the liberation of Hawijah.”
The Hawijah district is located south of Mosul between the city of Kirkuk and the Tigris River. Daesh has used it as a launching pad for operations in Baiji, Tikrit, and Kirkuk.
Daesh seized control of Hawijah in early 2014, but it became isolated from the rest of Deash-held areas in July 2016 during the battle of Mosul, especially after Shirqat, which lies a short distance to the West, slipped out of the militants’ grip, according to Iraqi sources.
