UPDATED: Iraqi forces recapture Geliokhan en route to Tigris River
Iraqi army forces. File photo.
Nineveh – (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army forces on Saturday captured the village of Geliokhan advancing towards the eastern shore of Tigris River, which cuts through the city of Mosul, as part of operations to recapture the city from Islamic State militants, army media said.
Troops from the army’s 9th division moved towards the east of Tigris River and liberated the village of “Geliokhan”, Lt. Gen Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of operation “We Are Coming Nineveh,” stated.
Iraqi army forces, backed by popular militias and US-led air forces, continue a major campaign that launched in mid October to liberate Mosul, ISIS’s last bastion in Iraq.
Popular militias said recently that victories over the extremist group practically isolated the province of Nineveh from the rest of Iraq as well as from escape routes to Syria.
ISIS has reportedly been losing ground, lives and equipment since the start of operations, with many of its prominent cadres reported as either dead or fugitive.