Iraq frees 350km south of Daesh-held Mosul

By Jamal al-Badrani and Ali Jawwad

BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraqi forces have liberated 352 kilometers south of the Daesh-held Mosul city in northern Iraq, a top police commander said Wednesday.

Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, launched a much-awaited offensive late Sunday to retake Mosul -- the last Daesh stronghold in northern Iraq, which was overrun by the terrorist group in 2014.

“Police forces have managed to clear 352 kilometers [from Daesh] since the start of the Mosul operation,” federal police commander Lt. Gen. Raed Shakir said in statements cited by the Interior Ministry’s website.

No further details were given by the commander about the areas where Daesh militants had been ousted.

Military officer Tahsin Abd, for his part, said Iraqi troops have rescued more than 100 families south of Mosul.

In mid-2014, Daesh captured Mosul -- Iraq’s second-largest city -- before overrunning large swathes of territory in the country’s northern and western regions.

Recent months have seen the Iraqi army, backed by local allies on the ground and a U.S.-led air coalition, retake much territory. Nevertheless, the terrorist group remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul.

In recent weeks, the army and its allies have staged a gradual advance on the city, which officials in Baghdad have vowed to recapture by year’s end.