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Baghdad

Army recaptures Anbar village near Mosul, kill 30 militants

 Army recaptures Anbar village near Mosul, kill 30 militants

Iraqi army forces. File photo.

Iraqi army forces. File photo.
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army forces took over a village near Mosul on Friday, killing 30 Islamic State militants in the process, according to an army commander.

Al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) media service quoted Lt. Gen Qassem Nazzal, commander of the army’s 9th division invaded the village of Rayhanna, killed 30 Islamic State members and destroyed several booby-trapped vehicles belonging to the group.

Nazzal, pointing to the “strategic importance” of the village, said troops were combing its houses, expecting the searches to conclude within a few hours.

Rayhanna village, southwest of Mosul.

Iraqi government forces, backed by paramilitary troops and a U.S.-led coalition, recaptured eastern Mosul from IS in January after three months of fighting, and launched another offensive mid February to retake the western region.

Troops have been struggling to fully retake central Mosul’s Old City, a densely-populated and structured area which military generals view as vital for victory over IS in that region.

Maj. Gen. Najm al-Jubouri, head of the Joint Operations Command’s Mosul operations, said in statements on Wednesday that his troops have become in control over 90 percent of the “western axis”, and continue to advance in central Mosul.

IS is still holding a few strongholds in western Anbar near the borders with Syria, and the Iraqi government is expected to aim at those locations after clearing Mosul from militants.

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