Iraq: Security forces recapture Shirqat from Islamic State (IS) militants
The Iraqi army says its forces have taken control of the strategic northern town of Shirqat from ISIL, in a military operation launched ahead of a push to recapture the armed group’s stronghold of Mosul.
Security forces began the operation to oust ISIL (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS) on Tuesday, backed by both Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft.
Iraqi forces “completely liberated the Shirqat district and raised the Iraqi flag over the government headquarters” in the town, the country’s Joint Operations Command said in a statement on Thursday.
The town lies on the west bank of the Tigris river in Salaheddin province, 260km northwest of Baghdad and around 80km south of Mosul.
ISIL overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and training have since retaken significant ground, including the cities of Tikrit , Ramadi and Fallujah.