Mosul battle: Iraq militias 'cut off IS access to city'
An Iraqi paramilitary umbrella group made up of Iranian-backed Shiite
militias has been ordered to cut off the Islamic State militant group’s
(ISIS) access to Syria in northern Iraq, in a bid to prevent thousands
of jihadis fleeing to the war-torn country, its spokesman said Tuesday.
Hashd al-Shaabi, whose militias are feared for their brutality, has been a significant player in the battle to recapture ISIS-held cities in western Iraq, particularly Fallujah and Ramadi, but its role has been limited in the operation to liberate Mosul.
There are concerns that the Shiite sections of the umbrella group would inflame tensions in the predominantly Sunni Arab city, which has more than a million inhabitants. But it is now aiming to liberate the formerly Shiite town of Tal Afar, located 63 kilometers west of Mosul, and its surrounding region.
The leadership of the umbrella group has ordered its members “to assume the mission of liberating Tal Afar district,” Jawwad al-Tulaibawi, spokesman of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, said in a statement, according to AFP news agency.
He added that the mission of the umbrella group will be to “cut off and prevent the escape of [ISIS] toward Syria and fully isolate Mosul from Syria. We expect that it will be a difficult and fierce battle.”
French President François Hollande has warned of ISIS fighters fleeing from Mosul to Raqqa , the de facto capital of its self-declared caliphate in Syria, where they can continue to prop up the group and survive amid the turmoil in the country.
Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition military advisors and airstrikes, are continuing their week-long advance against ISIS in the last remaining city it holds in Iraq.
They have advanced to less than five miles of the city but ISIS has carried out a series of counter-attacks, using snipers, suicide car bombs and booby traps to slow the progress of the offensive.
Much of the operation, which consists of some 30,000 grounds troops, has focused on rooting ISIS out of territory it holds on the outskirts of Mosul. The fighting inside the city’s densely populated urban areas is likely to be more fierce.
The U.N. said Tuesday that it has received information to suggest that ISIS has killed scores of people around the city since the beginning of the offensive. Iraqi security forces found the bodies of 70 civilians in a house in Tuloul Naser village south of Mosul, according to the U.N’s human rights spokesman Rupert Colville.
Hashd al-Shaabi, whose militias are feared for their brutality, has been a significant player in the battle to recapture ISIS-held cities in western Iraq, particularly Fallujah and Ramadi, but its role has been limited in the operation to liberate Mosul.
There are concerns that the Shiite sections of the umbrella group would inflame tensions in the predominantly Sunni Arab city, which has more than a million inhabitants. But it is now aiming to liberate the formerly Shiite town of Tal Afar, located 63 kilometers west of Mosul, and its surrounding region.
The leadership of the umbrella group has ordered its members “to assume the mission of liberating Tal Afar district,” Jawwad al-Tulaibawi, spokesman of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, said in a statement, according to AFP news agency.
He added that the mission of the umbrella group will be to “cut off and prevent the escape of [ISIS] toward Syria and fully isolate Mosul from Syria. We expect that it will be a difficult and fierce battle.”
French President François Hollande has warned of ISIS fighters fleeing from Mosul to Raqqa , the de facto capital of its self-declared caliphate in Syria, where they can continue to prop up the group and survive amid the turmoil in the country.
Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition military advisors and airstrikes, are continuing their week-long advance against ISIS in the last remaining city it holds in Iraq.
They have advanced to less than five miles of the city but ISIS has carried out a series of counter-attacks, using snipers, suicide car bombs and booby traps to slow the progress of the offensive.
Much of the operation, which consists of some 30,000 grounds troops, has focused on rooting ISIS out of territory it holds on the outskirts of Mosul. The fighting inside the city’s densely populated urban areas is likely to be more fierce.
The U.N. said Tuesday that it has received information to suggest that ISIS has killed scores of people around the city since the beginning of the offensive. Iraqi security forces found the bodies of 70 civilians in a house in Tuloul Naser village south of Mosul, according to the U.N’s human rights spokesman Rupert Colville.
An
Iraqi paramilitary force says it has seized a key road west of Mosul,
effectively encircling the city controlled by so-called Islamic State.
The Popular Mobilisation (Hashd al-Shaabi) declared it had taken control of the road between Tal Afar and Sinjar after linking up with Kurdish forces.
IS militants still control the section of the road between Tal Afar and Mosul.
Meanwhile, an air strike reportedly hit another bridge in Mosul, as troops advanced further into eastern areas.
There is now only one functioning bridge left spanning the River Tigris, which flows through the city.
About 50,000 Iraqi security forces personnel, Kurdish fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen are involved in the five-week-old offensive to drive IS militants out of their last major urban stronghold in the country.
The Popular Mobilisation, which is dominated by Iranian-backed Shia militias, said it had cut the road between the IS-held town of Tal Afar, 50km (31 miles) from Mosul, and Kurdish-controlled town of Sinjar, 45km (28 miles) further west, on Wednesday afternoon.
A Kurdish security official told the AFP news agency that PM fighters had linked up with other anti-IS forces, including members of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in three villages in the area.
A prominent PM leader, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, suggested it would now focus on severing the route between Mosul and Tal Afar.
But the PM has been warned by the Turkish government not to attempt to storm the predominantly Sunni Turkmen town, from which thousands of civilians have reportedly been leaving for Kurdish-held territory to the north.
"People are fleeing due to the Hashid's advance, there are great fears among the civilians," said Nuraldin Qablan, a representative for Tal Afar in the Nineveh provincial council, currently based in the city of Irbil in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.
- See more at: http://news.re-publish.com/1052314/mosul-battle-iraq-militias-cut-off-is-access-to-city#sthash.yncLVuCQ.dpuf
The Popular Mobilisation (Hashd al-Shaabi) declared it had taken control of the road between Tal Afar and Sinjar after linking up with Kurdish forces.
IS militants still control the section of the road between Tal Afar and Mosul.
Meanwhile, an air strike reportedly hit another bridge in Mosul, as troops advanced further into eastern areas.
There is now only one functioning bridge left spanning the River Tigris, which flows through the city.
About 50,000 Iraqi security forces personnel, Kurdish fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen are involved in the five-week-old offensive to drive IS militants out of their last major urban stronghold in the country.
The Popular Mobilisation, which is dominated by Iranian-backed Shia militias, said it had cut the road between the IS-held town of Tal Afar, 50km (31 miles) from Mosul, and Kurdish-controlled town of Sinjar, 45km (28 miles) further west, on Wednesday afternoon.
A Kurdish security official told the AFP news agency that PM fighters had linked up with other anti-IS forces, including members of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in three villages in the area.
A prominent PM leader, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, suggested it would now focus on severing the route between Mosul and Tal Afar.
But the PM has been warned by the Turkish government not to attempt to storm the predominantly Sunni Turkmen town, from which thousands of civilians have reportedly been leaving for Kurdish-held territory to the north.
"People are fleeing due to the Hashid's advance, there are great fears among the civilians," said Nuraldin Qablan, a representative for Tal Afar in the Nineveh provincial council, currently based in the city of Irbil in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.
- See more at: http://news.re-publish.com/1052314/mosul-battle-iraq-militias-cut-off-is-access-to-city#sthash.yncLVuCQ.dpuf
An
Iraqi paramilitary force says it has seized a key road west of Mosul,
effectively encircling the city controlled by so-called Islamic State.
The Popular Mobilisation (Hashd al-Shaabi) declared it had taken control of the road between Tal Afar and Sinjar after linking up with Kurdish forces.
IS militants still control the section of the road between Tal Afar and Mosul.
Meanwhile, an air strike reportedly hit another bridge in Mosul, as troops advanced further into eastern areas.
There is now only one functioning bridge left spanning the River Tigris, which flows through the city.
About 50,000 Iraqi security forces personnel, Kurdish fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen are involved in the five-week-old offensive to drive IS militants out of their last major urban stronghold in the country.
The Popular Mobilisation, which is dominated by Iranian-backed Shia militias, said it had cut the road between the IS-held town of Tal Afar, 50km (31 miles) from Mosul, and Kurdish-controlled town of Sinjar, 45km (28 miles) further west, on Wednesday afternoon.
A Kurdish security official told the AFP news agency that PM fighters had linked up with other anti-IS forces, including members of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in three villages in the area.
A prominent PM leader, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, suggested it would now focus on severing the route between Mosul and Tal Afar.
But the PM has been warned by the Turkish government not to attempt to storm the predominantly Sunni Turkmen town, from which thousands of civilians have reportedly been leaving for Kurdish-held territory to the north.
"People are fleeing due to the Hashid's advance, there are great fears among the civilians," said Nuraldin Qablan, a representative for Tal Afar in the Nineveh provincial council, currently based in the city of Irbil in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.
- See more at: http://news.re-publish.com/1052314/mosul-battle-iraq-militias-cut-off-is-access-to-city#sthash.yncLVuCQ.dpuf
The Popular Mobilisation (Hashd al-Shaabi) declared it had taken control of the road between Tal Afar and Sinjar after linking up with Kurdish forces.
IS militants still control the section of the road between Tal Afar and Mosul.
Meanwhile, an air strike reportedly hit another bridge in Mosul, as troops advanced further into eastern areas.
There is now only one functioning bridge left spanning the River Tigris, which flows through the city.
About 50,000 Iraqi security forces personnel, Kurdish fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen are involved in the five-week-old offensive to drive IS militants out of their last major urban stronghold in the country.
The Popular Mobilisation, which is dominated by Iranian-backed Shia militias, said it had cut the road between the IS-held town of Tal Afar, 50km (31 miles) from Mosul, and Kurdish-controlled town of Sinjar, 45km (28 miles) further west, on Wednesday afternoon.
A Kurdish security official told the AFP news agency that PM fighters had linked up with other anti-IS forces, including members of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in three villages in the area.
A prominent PM leader, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, suggested it would now focus on severing the route between Mosul and Tal Afar.
But the PM has been warned by the Turkish government not to attempt to storm the predominantly Sunni Turkmen town, from which thousands of civilians have reportedly been leaving for Kurdish-held territory to the north.
"People are fleeing due to the Hashid's advance, there are great fears among the civilians," said Nuraldin Qablan, a representative for Tal Afar in the Nineveh provincial council, currently based in the city of Irbil in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.
- See more at: http://news.re-publish.com/1052314/mosul-battle-iraq-militias-cut-off-is-access-to-city#sthash.yncLVuCQ.dpuf
An
Iraqi paramilitary force says it has seized a key road west of Mosul,
effectively encircling the city controlled by so-called Islamic State.
The Popular Mobilisation (Hashd al-Shaabi) declared it had taken control of the road between Tal Afar and Sinjar after linking up with Kurdish forces.
IS militants still control the section of the road between Tal Afar and Mosul.
Meanwhile, an air strike reportedly hit another bridge in Mosul, as troops advanced further into eastern areas.
There is now only one functioning bridge left spanning the River Tigris, which flows through the city.
About 50,000 Iraqi security forces personnel, Kurdish fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen are involved in the five-week-old offensive to drive IS militants out of their last major urban stronghold in the country.
The Popular Mobilisation, which is dominated by Iranian-backed Shia militias, said it had cut the road between the IS-held town of Tal Afar, 50km (31 miles) from Mosul, and Kurdish-controlled town of Sinjar, 45km (28 miles) further west, on Wednesday afternoon.
A Kurdish security official told the AFP news agency that PM fighters had linked up with other anti-IS forces, including members of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in three villages in the area.
A prominent PM leader, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, suggested it would now focus on severing the route between Mosul and Tal Afar.
But the PM has been warned by the Turkish government not to attempt to storm the predominantly Sunni Turkmen town, from which thousands of civilians have reportedly been leaving for Kurdish-held territory to the north.
"People are fleeing due to the Hashid's advance, there are great fears among the civilians," said Nuraldin Qablan, a representative for Tal Afar in the Nineveh provincial council, currently based in the city of Irbil in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.
- See more at: http://news.re-publish.com/1052314/mosul-battle-iraq-militias-cut-off-is-access-to-city#sthash.yncLVuCQ.dpuf
The Popular Mobilisation (Hashd al-Shaabi) declared it had taken control of the road between Tal Afar and Sinjar after linking up with Kurdish forces.
IS militants still control the section of the road between Tal Afar and Mosul.
Meanwhile, an air strike reportedly hit another bridge in Mosul, as troops advanced further into eastern areas.
There is now only one functioning bridge left spanning the River Tigris, which flows through the city.
About 50,000 Iraqi security forces personnel, Kurdish fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen are involved in the five-week-old offensive to drive IS militants out of their last major urban stronghold in the country.
The Popular Mobilisation, which is dominated by Iranian-backed Shia militias, said it had cut the road between the IS-held town of Tal Afar, 50km (31 miles) from Mosul, and Kurdish-controlled town of Sinjar, 45km (28 miles) further west, on Wednesday afternoon.
A Kurdish security official told the AFP news agency that PM fighters had linked up with other anti-IS forces, including members of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), in three villages in the area.
A prominent PM leader, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, suggested it would now focus on severing the route between Mosul and Tal Afar.
But the PM has been warned by the Turkish government not to attempt to storm the predominantly Sunni Turkmen town, from which thousands of civilians have reportedly been leaving for Kurdish-held territory to the north.
"People are fleeing due to the Hashid's advance, there are great fears among the civilians," said Nuraldin Qablan, a representative for Tal Afar in the Nineveh provincial council, currently based in the city of Irbil in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.
- See more at: http://news.re-publish.com/1052314/mosul-battle-iraq-militias-cut-off-is-access-to-city#sthash.yncLVuCQ.dpuf
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