Iraqi militiamen battle IS southwest of Mosul
AFP
AFP, QAYYARAH, Iraq: Iraqi paramilitary forces battled the Islamic State group southwest of Mosul on Sunday, the second day of an operation to cut jihadist supply lines between the city and neighbouring Syria.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi troops and Kurdish peshmerga fighters have been advancing on Mosul from the north, east and south after the launch on October 17 of a vast offensive to retake ISs last stronghold in the country.
After standing largely on the sidelines in the first days of the assault, forces from the Hashed al-Shaabia paramilitary umbrella organisation dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militiasbegan a push on Saturday towards the west of Mosul.
The ultimate aim is the recapture of Tal Afar, a town west of the city, and the cutting of jihadist supply lines between Mosul and Syria, but the Hashed still has significant ground to cover.
In a series of statements on Sunday, the Hasheds media office said it had retaken two villages, cleared another area and entered several more.
Al-Imraini, one of the two villages the Hashed said it recaptured, is 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Tal Afar, according to the media office.
The drive toward Tal Afar could bring the fighting perilously close to the ancient city of Hatra, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the ruins of Nimrudtwo archeological sites that have previously been vandalised by IS.
The involvement of Shiite militias in the Mosul operation has been a source of contention, though the Hasheds top commanders insist they do not plan to enter the largely Sunni city.
Iraqi Kurds and Sunni Arab politicians have opposed their involvement, as has Turkey which has a military presence east of Mosul despite repeated demands by Baghdad for the forces to be withdrawn.
