Paramilitary leader says western Nineveh’s Qairawan retaken from IS

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) An Iraqi paramilitary leader said Tuesday that pro-government forces recaptured Qairawan region, west of Nineveh, from Islamic State militants, a major victory at IS-held regions near the borders with Syria.

Hadi al-Ameri, secretary-general of Badr Organization, said Qairawan was recaptured in a “quick overnight operation” backed by Iraqi army fighter jets.

Ameri’s militia is part of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units), the alliance of Shia-led troops which has been fighting IS alongside the government forces since 2014.

PMUs launched operations to retake Qairawan and neighboring Baaj more than a week ago, retaking several villages since then. The operation ran parallel to a seven-month campaign to clear Mosul from Islamic State militants.

The Iraqi Joint Operations Command said recently it controls at least 89.5 percent of territory in western Mosul. Operations to retake that section of the city launched mid February. Eastern Mosul was recaptured in January. Some generals predict the city to be cleared from IS militants by the end of this month, specifically before the holy month of Ramadan, which begins on 27th.

Earlier this month, Iraqi government troops changed tactics and started charging at the Old City from the northwest, having besieged the area for weeks futilely from the south.