IS members turn in themselves, others flee, north of Salahuddin
Islamic State militants. File photo.
“Seven IS militants extradited themselves to security troops in eastern Shirqat. Among the militants was Mendil Thanon, from western Shirqat,” the source told Baghdad Today on Thursday.
In related news, intelligence of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) said IS militants set their headquarters in western Shirqat on fire before escaping toward Hawija in south west of Kirkuk.
A statement by the PMF’s media service said, “the militants burnt their headquarters located near al-Zab river before withdrawal from western Shirqat toward Hawija as Iraqi troops advance.”
PMF announced earlier liberating five villages in northeast of Shirqat and killing several militants hiding at houses there.
Earlier on the day, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and Lt.Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, deputy commander of the Joint Operations Command announced launch of first phase of operations to liberate Hawija and western Shirqat. Several villages in Shirqat have been retaken.
The Iraqi army said in September its forces recaptured the western coast of Shirqat, located south of Mosul, on the west bank of the Tigris river, after being surrounded for months by Iraqi troops and the pro-government Shi’ite militias. The eastern coast of Shirqat, is still under the IS control.
Hawija and other neighboring regions, west of Kirkuk, have been held by IS since mid-2014, when the group emerged to proclaim an Islamic “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria.