Wed Jun 15, 2016 17:00:54
The Iraqi army said it had taken the village of Nasr, south of Mosul, from Islamic State group (ISIS / Daesh / ISIL) militants on Tuesday, Al-Alam News Network reports.
Nasr had been liberated before but fell to ISIS again after the militants used tunnels to re-enter the village.
Video filmed outside the village on Tuesday afternoon showed smoke rising above the houses as army shells and a coalition air strike hit Nasr, before tanks and armored personnel carriers moved in.
Nasr is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Mosul, Iraq’s second city, which has been held by ISIS (Daesh) for two years.
The Iraqi army launched an operation to surround the city at the end of March. Army units and tribesmen have been taking part in the operation, which has been hampered for much of the past two months.
Iraqi officials have blamed the slow progress on the high number of villages in the area and the lack of heavy weapons, most of which are deployed for operations near Fallujah.
However, an armored brigade arrived in the area last week, reinforcing the two infantry brigades already taking part in the operation.
S/SH 11
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