Iraqi forces, supported by local Sunni militia, have opened a new front against ISIS in the Hawija Plains, north of the group’s stronghold of Hawija, 58 km southwest of Kirkuk.
Iraqi forces have so far liberated two villages north of Hawija, Shayyal al Abali and Shayyal al Imam, reported Rudaw’s Nabard Hussein who is embedded with the advancing troops.
The operation was launched on Tuesday jointly by the Nineveh Operations, which is tasked with the Mosul offensive, and the Salahadin Operations, currently active in Salahadin province. They are also supported by local Sunni militia.
The objective is to open a new front for an eventual assault on Hawija, where ISIS is already under pressure on several sides from Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces, including the Hashd al-Shaabi.