Iraqi forces attack Islamic State south of Mosul
Date
6/19/2016 4:35:25 AM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Iraqi government forces are seen on June 16, 2016 after recapturing the town of Zankura, northwest of Ramadi in Anbar province, from the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, after IS fighters attacked positions in the area, including Zankoura, that were retaken by Iraqi forces earlier this year. According to Iraqi officers, retaking the area around Zankoura was an attempt by IS to distract Iraqi forces in Anbar province, where a big battle to retake Fallujah is going on.Fallujah is a medium-sized, densely built-up town that lies only 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad. It is one of the last two major Iraqi cities IS controls, the other being Mosul.AFP / MOADH AL-DULAIMI
By Suleiman al-Qubaisi
BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces have launched an offensive against Islamic State terrorists south of Mosul, one day after recapturing the western city of Fallujah from the group.
Army officer Lt. Gen. Mohamed al-Askari told Anadolu Agency on Saturday that the offensive aims at retaking Qayara, south of Mosul, from the IS group.
“The operation aims to recapture Qayara, which is an important area due to the presence of a military base there,” he said.
Saturday’s offensive came one day after Iraqi forces managed to retake Fallujah, two years after the western city fell to the terror group in 2014.
Meanwhile, seven people were killed in bomb attacks in capital Baghdad on Friday.
An explosive device exploded at a military vehicle in al-Doura in southern Baghdad, killing a soldier and injuring two others, police officer Hamed al-Moamen told Anadolu Agency.
Another three civilians were killed and 11 others injured in a bomb blast in northern Baghdad, he said.
Three people were also killed and 15 injured in two bomb blasts in northern and western Baghdad, al-Moamen said.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attacks.
Iraq has suffered a security vacuum since mid-2014, when IS captured the northern city of Mosul and overran large swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country.
According to the UN, more than 3.4 million people are now displaced in Iraq -- more than half of them children -- while more than 10 million are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
AA