Iraqi forces advance into Dhuluiyah, north of Baghdad, retake airport

Iraqi forces have launched a successful offensive into the city of Dhuluiyah, some 90 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, retaking the city’s airport from the ISIL terrorists.

Government forces supported by tribal militia advanced into Dhuluiyah on Sunday and pushed back ISIL Takfiri militants from parts of the town, military sources said.

The troops entered the city from the north and captured the military airport, raising the Iraqi flag over the main terminal, a spokesman in Iraq’s ministry of interior told Iraqi News.

The offensive, which started on Friday, has seen villages liberated south of the town.

Located in the Salahuddin province, Dhuluiyah was initially liberated in October by Iraqi armed forces but it was again seized by the terrorists despite fierce resistance from local tribes.

The operation in Dhuluiyah is the latest in a string of successful offensives launched in the ISIL-held areas. The Iraqi army managed to liberate key districts in the city of Samarra in early December. The most notable of all operations came in November when Iraqi forces retook the strategic town of Baiji and its refinery from the terrorists.

The government in Baghdad has pledged to make more gains in its battle against the Takfiri group, which has large swathes of land under control in Iraq and Syria.