17 IS militants killed as Iraqi joint force foils 4th attack near Mosul
Members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi.
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) An Iraqi joint force have thwarted an attack by the Islamic state near Mosul, two days after the liberation of the city, Shafaq News reported on Wednesday.
The attack is the fourth of its kind by the IS after losing the battle of Mosul.
“A force made up of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) and al-Hashd al-Ashaeri (Tribal Mobilization Forces), backed by fighter jets, managed to repulse a violent attack by the IS on Hatra, southwest of Mosul, killing 17 militants” a security source told Shafaq News.
“The militants used bicycle bombs driven by suicide bombers,” the source added.
Anadoly news agency quoted Col. Ahmed al-Jabouri, of Nineveh Operations Command, as saying that 13 militants were killed in an attack againt Jurn village, south of Mosul. Battles are still ongoing at Mqalae’ Jiyaa region, located near the village, after army troops were deployed to repulse the attack in Hatra.
Meanwhile, Peshmerga troops foiled another attack by IS fighters as they sneaked into a village northwest of Mosul. Al-Hashd al-Ashaeri and Al-Hashd al-Shaabi also repulsed two other attacks near the city.
Western officials warned that the IS terror group will try to launch attacks after losing their last stronghold in Mosul last Monday.
Tal Afar is a pivotal stronghold that is still held by IS in Nineveh province since August 2014.
On Monday, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi declared, victory in the city of Mosul, ending an eight-month campaign backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary forces, which has displaced more than 900.000 civilians.
The victory in Mosul also means an effective collapse of the Islamic State’s self-styled “caliphate” declared from Mosul’s Old City by the group’s supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.