Islamic State tightens grip on village near Mosul after defeat
Militants, armed with machine guns and mortars, have now seized more than 75 percent of a village south of Mosul
Iraqis celebrate as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announces victory over Islamic State in Mosul, in Baghdad, Iraq, July 10, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS
TIKRIT:
Islamic State has captured most of a village south of Mosul despite losing control of its stronghold in the city, an Iraqi army officer and residents said, deploying guerrilla-style tactics as its self-proclaimed
caliphate crumbles.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over Islamic
State (IS) in Mosul on Monday, marking the biggest defeat for
the hardline Sunni group since its lightning sweep through
northern Iraq three years ago. But the militants, armed with machine guns and mortars, have now seized more than 75 percent of Imam Gharbi, a village on the western bank of the Tigris river some 70 km (44 miles) south of Mosul, and reinforcements are expected, the Iraqi army officer said.
Iraq forces retake hospital near Mosul's Old City
Islamic State launched its attack on Imam Gharbi last week,
in the kind of strike it is expected to deploy now as
US-backed Iraqi forces regain control over cities the group
captured during its shock 2014 offensive. Stripped of Mosul, IS's dominion in Iraq will be reduced to mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city.
Islamic State also faces pressure in its operational base in the Syrian city of Raqqa, where US-backed Syrian Kurdish and Arab forces have seized territory on three sides of the city. The campaign to retake Mosul from the militants was launched last October by a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias, with a US-led coalition providing key air and ground support.
Iraq probes report of rights abuses in Mosul operation
Abadi's government in Iraq now faces a difficult task
managing the sectarian tensions which enabled Islamic State to
gain supporters in the country among fellow Sunnis who say they
were marginalised by the Shi'ite-led government. The US-led coalition warned that victory in Mosul did not mark the end of the group's global threat.
"Now it is time for all Iraqis to unite to ensure IS is defeated across the rest of Iraq and that the conditions that led to the rise of ISIS in Iraq are not allowed to return again," Lieutenant General Stephen J. Townsend said in a statement.
Islamic State has captured most of a village south of Mosul despite losing control of its stronghold in the city, an Iraqi army officer and residents said, deploying guerrilla-style tactics as its self-proclaimed
caliphate crumbles.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over Islamic
State (IS) in Mosul on Monday, marking the biggest defeat for
the hardline Sunni group since its lightning sweep through
northern Iraq three years ago. But the militants, armed with machine guns and mortars, have now seized more than 75 percent of Imam Gharbi, a village on the western bank of the Tigris river some 70 km (44 miles) south of Mosul, and reinforcements are expected, the Iraqi army officer said.
Iraq forces retake hospital near Mosul's Old City
Islamic State launched its attack on Imam Gharbi last week,
in the kind of strike it is expected to deploy now as
US-backed Iraqi forces regain control over cities the group
captured during its shock 2014 offensive. Stripped of Mosul, IS's dominion in Iraq will be reduced to mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city.
Islamic State also faces pressure in its operational base in the Syrian city of Raqqa, where US-backed Syrian Kurdish and Arab forces have seized territory on three sides of the city. The campaign to retake Mosul from the militants was launched last October by a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias, with a US-led coalition providing key air and ground support.
Iraq probes report of rights abuses in Mosul operation
Abadi's government in Iraq now faces a difficult task
managing the sectarian tensions which enabled Islamic State to
gain supporters in the country among fellow Sunnis who say they
were marginalised by the Shi'ite-led government. The US-led coalition warned that victory in Mosul did not mark the end of the group's global threat.
"Now it is time for all Iraqis to unite to ensure IS is defeated across the rest of Iraq and that the conditions that led to the rise of ISIS in Iraq are not allowed to return again," Lieutenant General Stephen J. Townsend said in a statement.