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Iraqi army troops seize back four villages north of Daesh-held Mosul

Saturday, 03 December 2016 4:41 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 03 December 2016 4:43 PM ]

Soldiers of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, on an armored vehicle, flash the victory sign at a checkpoint in Bartalla, east of the northern city of Mosul, on December 3, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

Iraqi army soldiers have managed to liberate four villages north of the strategic city of Mosul as government forces, backed by fighters from Popular Mobilization Units and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, press ahead with an operation to expel Daesh terrorists from the area.

The commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, said in a press statement on Saturday that the 16th Infantry Division of the Army had recaptured the village of Gara Tepe, and hoisted the Iraqi national flag over a number of buildings there, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network reported.

Yarallah added that Iraqi government forces inflicted heavy losses on Daesh during clashes with the Takfiri terrorists.

Iraqi soldiers also established control over the villages of Kuri Ghariban, al-Darawish and Abu Jarbouah north of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers north of the capital, Baghdad.

Moreover, Iraqi Special Operations Forces managed to liberate al-Kafa'at neighborhood in the eastern quarter of Mosul on Saturday.

Iraqi Federal Police also announced that security forces had foiled an infiltration attempt by Daesh terrorists into the village of Azbah south of Mosul.

Over 85,000 displaced since Mosul operation began

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes since Iraq launched a military operation to retake Mosul nearly two months ago.

Iraqi displaced people, who fled the violence in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, line up during a distribution of basic household items on December 3, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

The Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration reported on Saturday that a total of 85, 590 civilians had experienced forced displacement ever since Iraqi troops, supported by pro-government fighters from Popular Mobilization Units as well as Kurdish Peshmerga forces, kicked off the Mosul operation on October 17.

The ministry noted its field teams continued to shelter displaced families and distribute basic commodities among them, adding that its camps could well accommodate up to 120,000 displaced people.

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