Iraq: Forces push IS militants from key northern town

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The spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against IS, Col. John L. Dorrian, told The Associated Press that the coalition carried out “a very successful strike that eliminated a significant number of fighters who were trying to flee toward Hawija,” to the east of Shirqat, which is under IS control. Dorrian couldn’t give specific figures for the number of militants killed.

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The head of the Salahuddin provincial council, Ahmed al-Karim, said that government forces control up to 80 per cent of the city, with the militants pushed to rural areas across the Tigris River. Al-Karim added that the operation did not displace people, as residents stayed in their homes.

Shirqat, about 155 miles (250 kilometres) northwest of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, was among the first areas to fall into IS hands during the militants’ summer 2014 offensive. The government forces launched the Shirqat operation on Tuesday.

The town lies near the city of Mosul, which is the IS group’s last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

Shirqat is important for Iraqi troops to secure the supply lines to forces stationed in nearby town of Qayara ahead of Mosul operation.

The city is home to the 3rd millennium ancient city of Ashur in Shirqat. The UNESCO World Heritage Site was the first capital for Assyrian Empire between 14th to 9th centuries BC. The militants claimed that they had destroyed some of its ruins, but they didn’t release a video as they did with other archaeological sites.

Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, is located about 360 kilometres (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad. While the Syrian city of Raqqa is considered the caliphate’s de facto capital, Mosul is the largest city under its control. The Iraqi government is now gearing up for a major offensive to retake Mosul from IS. It pledged to recapture the city this year.

Late last month, Iraqi forces retook the town of Qayara, about 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of Mosul. A string of villages and towns south and southeast of Mosul have also been recaptured as part of an operation launched in March aimed at eventually unseating IS from the city.

Sinan Salaheddin, The Associated Press