Iraqi Forces Reach Center of Key Town South of Mosul: Army
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iraq's military Thursday seized the center of Shirqat, a northern town seen as a stepping stone in the campaign to recapture Mosul from Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorists.
The army, backed by local police and tribal fighters, were still clashing with the extremists after taking control of the mayor's office, the municipal building and the hospital, said a source from the Salahuddin Operations Command, which oversees military operations in the area, Reuters reported.
Shirqat, on the Tigris river 100 km (60 miles) south of Mosul, has been surrounded by Iraqi troops and their allies.
Iraqi forces have advanced swiftly through the Shirqat area since Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the operation Tuesday morning.
The town's proximity to Iraqi supply lines reaching Qayyara airbase further north, which will be used as a logistics hub for the push on Mosul, lends it strategic importance.
Remaining Daesh militants in Shirqat are resisting in groups of three and four from inside houses, according to the Iraqi operations command source, who said three army personnel had been killed in recent hours.
Tens of thousands of civilians were thought to be trapped in the area, which has been under Daesh control since the group seized a third of Iraqi territory in 2014.
A spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said there had been no displacement Tuesday and only 32 people dislodged from their homes Wednesday.
Iraqi authorities hope the course of the battle will allow most residents to shelter in place to avoid creating a humanitarian crisis as forces move towards Mosul, where more than a million people are still living.
Hawija, east of Shirqat, is the other remaining Daesh bastion south of Mosul. The terrorist group also controls the city of Tel Afar, west of Mosul towards the Syrian border.
