Iraqi forces advance on strategic area south of Mosul

By Ahmed Kassem

NINEVEH, Iraq (AA) - Iraqi forces on Friday morning launched an assault on the Daesh-held Al-Shura area south of Mosul, according to military sources.

"At 5:00 a.m. [2:00GMT], Iraqi forces began advancing on Al-Shura from several directions," Major Mohamed al-Bayati of the Iraqi army’s 15th Division -- commander of the attacking force -- told Anadolu Agency.

The assault, he said, came only days after Al-Shura was encircled by troops of the 15th Division backed by Iraqi Federal Police personnel.

Iraqi forces, al-Bayati said, were advancing on central Al-Shura from the northeast -- along the main road into the city -- and along two other axes from the east.

On Oct. 17, the Iraqi army, backed by a U.S.-led air coalition, launched a wide-ranging offensive aimed at retaking Mosul, Daesh’s last stronghold in northern Iraq.

Since then, Iraqi forces have captured most towns and villages on Mosul’s outskirts -- while claiming to have killed "hundreds" of militants -- but until now the terrorist group remains in control of the city itself.

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