Seventeen Islamic State members killed, arrested, in operation south of Mosul
Iraqi soldiers riding an armored vehicle while advancing to liberate Iraqi territories from Islamic state
“Joint security troops carried out an operation in al-Jazra region, for the second time, after information showed that IS militants sneaked through the region, located between al-Bou Seif and al-Shamsiyat villages,” Lt. Gen. Ali Ahmed, of Nineveh Operations Command, told BasNews.
“Troops managed to kill eleven IS members and arrest six others during the operation,” he added.
Earlier this week, sixty IS members were killed as Iraqi army, police and al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) launched a wide-scale security campaign on Saturday evening, targeting Islamic State militants in the region.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared in July victory over IS militants who had held the second largest Iraqi city since 2014. More than 25,000 Islamic State militants were killed throughout the campaign. Earlier this month, Abadi announced full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring end of war against IS members.
Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops, have been fighting since October 2016 to retake territories Islamic State had occupied.
The war against IS has displaced nearly five million people, with tens of thousands of civilians and militants killed since the launch of the offensives to recapture occupied cities.