NINEVEH, Iraq: Iraqi forces on Wednesday resumed its offensive in the Islamic State-held Qayyarah district in northern Iraq.
“Our forces are continuing to advance into Qayyarah,” army officer Saheb Lafta told Anadolu Agency.
He said Iraqi forces have captured several areas and buildings in Qayyara, including the main government complex in the district.
“Our forces are tightening the noose [around IS] in Qayyarah,” he said.
According to army officer, Iraqi forces have killed Abul-Futuh al-Shishani, a top IS military commander, during operations in the northern district.
Backed by U.S.-led warplanes, Iraqi troops launched an operation on Tuesday to liberate Qayyarah, a strategically important area for Iraqi forces planning to capture Mosul, Iraq’s largest city, from IS.
Shortly after launching the offensive, ten Iraqi soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing in the district.
“A bomber blew himself up as Iraqi forces were trying to clear the center of Qayyarah,” army officer Fares Aziz said.
He said IS was using bombers and booby-trapped cars in an attempt to hinder the advance of Iraqi forces into the area.
“There are street battles in the district, where thousands of civilians live,” he said.
IS group has seized control of vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq in 2014.
Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led warplanes, however, have managed to retake most of the territory.
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