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More Mosul Moslem Mayhem
 Iraqi militias capture 17 localities Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi pro-government paramilitary forces recaptured more ground around Islamic State’s last stronghold in Nineveh province, a military officer was quoted saying Thursday. Popular Mobilization Forces carried out a military operation east of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, said Cap. Jabbar Hassan from the Iraqi army in statements to Anadolu Agency. The offensives came as part of reinforcements in preparation to invade the town, he explained. The PMF finished an operation to clear the road linking the regions of Adaya, west of Mosul, and ain al-Jahsh, southeast of Tal Afar, Hassan added. Forces took control of 17 villages and roads interconnecting them, he revealed. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said last month that military plans were ready to invade Tal Afar, Islamic State’s last haven in Nineveh, with the participation of mobilization forces. Abadi declared earlier this month that the city of Mosul, IS’s largest stronghold in Iraq, had been recaptured from the militant group. Late June, PMFs said they took control over the borderline with Syria, and announced earlier this year that Tal Afar was completely isolated from IS’s havens in Syria. ISIS Big Turban dies in airstrike in al-Jighaifi region Mosul (IraqiNews.com) The Shia-led paramilitary troops have announced murder of the ‘third man’ within the Islamic State group, in west of Mosul. In a statement posted on al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units), abu Sijad al-Karbala’i, deputy commander of the 13th brigade, said “Iraqi fighter jets killed on Thursday IS security chief known as abu Suhaib, based on intelligence information from the PMUs.” “Abu Suhaib was targeted by an army airstrike near the brigade in al-Jighaifi region, west of Mosul on the borders between Iraq and Syria,” Karbala’i added. In May, Badr Organization, which works under the umbrella of the PMUs, announced reaching to Iraqi-Syrian borders, after liberating the remaining villages in the vicinity of Qairawan, a main Islamic State bastion which links between Tal Afar town and the Syrian borders, and Baaj. The target behind expanding the control of borders, according to PMUs officials, is to prevent infiltration of of IS militants from Syria to Iraq. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi vowed in July to keep the PMUs for several years and announced increase of their budget to raise the fighters’ wages. PMUs, an alliance of more than 60 mostly Shia militias, are recognized by the government as a national force under the Prime Minister’s command. Iraqi soldier die in ISIS set ambush Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) An Iraqi officer was killed, while another went missing in an ambush set up by Islamic State militants, south of Nineveh province, Waradana news agency reported. “A colonel from the national security department was killed in an ambush set up by IS militants, while another officer, a first lieutenant, went missing,” a police source said. “The ambush was set up in al-Najma village in Qayyarah, south of Nineveh,” the source added. Iraqi troops had liberated Qayyarah in August. Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014. A monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), issued this week said 518 Iraqis were killed and injured during the month of June. Nineveh province was the most affected governorate with 233, Baghdad came next then Anbar. Bombings and armed attacks are seen on on almost a daily basis against security members, paramilitary groups and civilians since the Iraqi government launched a wide-scale campaign to retake IS-occupied areas in 2016. Despite declaring the victory over IS in Mosul in July, observers say IS is believed to constitute a security threat even after the group’s defeat at its main havens across Iraqi provinces. Posted by: badanov 2017-08-04 |
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