Iraqi Army Fends Off ISIL’s Attack Near Mosul

“Nineveh Liberation Operations Command foiled an attack by the ISIL terrorist group on the Syrian army’s 15th Brigade in a village to the South of Mosul city,” the Arabic-language al-Sumeria news channel quoted an unnamed source as saying on Tuesday.

The source noted that the Iraqi army killed 35 ISIL terrorists, including 17 suicide bombers.

In a relevant development on Monday, the Iraqi popular forces cut ISIL’s main supply route from Iraq to Syria after seizing two more important regions near the city of Sinjar.

The Iraqi forces took full control over the strategic Um al-Diban and Um al-Jaris regions in the Northern parts of Iraq.

The ISIL sustained heavy losses, including losing several of its armored vehicles.

Um al-Diban and Um al-Jaris regions are located in Sinjar countryside near Iraq-Syria borders and they were regarded as one of most important supply routes of the ISIL from Nineveh province in Iraq to Hasaka and Deir Ezzur provinces in Syria.

On Thursday, the Arab media outlets reported that the Iraqi Army and popular forces have begun military operations to retake the Northern province of Nineveh from ISIL.

It said that the Iraqi forces have already liberated several villages in the district of al-Makhmour and Mosul, which has been under ISIL’s control for two years.

The Northern and Western parts of Iraq have been plagued by violence ever since the ISIL terrorists began an offensive through the Iraqi territory in June 2014.

Iraqi army soldiers and popular forces are now seeking to win back these occupied regions in joint operations.

Last Tuesday, Nineveh Province Operations Commander Brigadier General Najm al-Jabouri announced that the ISIL positions in Mosul were under the army’s heavy fire, underlining that his forces were waiting for an order to launch the final battle.

“The Central and Southern parts of Mosul which host the ISIL commanders’ strongholds are under artillery fire and airstrikes,” Jabouri told FNA.

He said that the Iraqi army and popular forces were all prepared for their commanders’ order to launch a decisive battle against the ISIL in Mosul.

A source in Iraq’s Ministry of Interior announced last Friday that the Iraqi Air Force’s planes dropped thousands of leaflets on the city of Mosul (405 km North of Baghdad), calling on the residents to be prepared for the liberation operation of the city by the Iraqi army.

The source said in a statement that “today the Iraqi Air Force planes dropped thousands of leaflets on Tahrir neighborhood, as well as different parts in the left side of Mosul”.

The source, who asked anonymity, added, “The leaflets called the citizens to be prepared for the expulsion of ISIL terrorist members.”