Iraqi army launches mop-up operations in northern areas

The new army operations are mainly focused on areas near the northern oil town of Baiji and the city of Tikrit, situated 140 kilometers northwest of the capital, Baghdad.
 
The first stage of the sweeping operations, which was carried out on Friday, included both Iraqi ground and air forces.
 
Iraqi military officials say residents of the Salahuddin province are supporting the army troops in the operations, which are aimed at recapturing ISIL-controlled areas and cutting off supplies to the Takfiri militants.
 
    “Iraqi forces and volunteers are now in Tikrit in Salahuddin province, and those forces were able to flush militants out of areas they controlled earlier. The situation is now under the army’s control,” Mohammad Mohi, a political analyst said.
 
The new developments come as the Iraqi army, backed by volunteer forces, continues to gain more ground in the fight against the ISIL militants, inflicting heavy losses on them on several fronts.
 
The US-led coalition has also conducted several airstrikes on ISIL positions across Iraq, but the air raids have so far failed to stop the advance of the terrorists.
 
On Friday, General Lloyd Austin, the commander of US military forces in the Middle East, said Iraqi army soldiers were “incrementally” recapturing ground from the extremist militants.
 
The ISIL militants have seized large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria, terrorizing all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians, in the areas they are controlling.