Skip to main content

Shia militias make operations against Islamic states

State-sanctioned Shia militias launched an assault on the Islamic State group west of the Iraqi city of Mosul on Saturday but reiterated that they would not enter the Sunni majority city.

Jaafar al-Husseini, a spokesperson for the Hezbollah Brigades, said they launched an offensive Saturday along with other large militias toward the town of Tel Afar, which had a Shia majority before it fell to IS in 2014. 
Iranian forces are advising the fighters and Iraqi aircraft are providing airstrikes, he said.

Iraq launched a massive operation to retake militant-held Mosul, its second largest city, last week. The involvement of the Shia militias has raised concerns the battle could aggravate sectarian divisions.

The Mosul offensive involves more than 25,000 soldiers, Federal Police, Kurdish fighters, Sunni tribesmen and the Shia militias, which operate under an umbrella organization known as the Popular Mobilization Units.

Many of the militias were originally formed after the 2003 US-led invasion to battle American forces and Sunni insurgents. 
They were mobilised again and endorsed by the state when IS, a Sunni extremist group, swept through northern and central Iraq in 2014, capturing Mosul and other towns and cities.

A US-led coalition has been providing airstrikes and ground support to Iraqi forces in the Mosul offensive, but al-Husseini said it had no involvement in the Iran-backed militias’ advance on Tel Afar.

He said the militias will focus on Tel Afar and on securing the western border with Syria.
IS still controls territory on both sides of the border, where it shuttles fighters, weapons and supplies between Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of its self-styled caliphate.

Iraqi forces advancing toward Mosul from several directions have made uneven progress since the offensive began.
Iraqi forces are 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the edge of Mosul on the eastern front, where the elite special forces are leading the charge. But progress has been slower in the south, with Iraqi forces still 20 miles (35 kilometers) from the city.

There have been no major advances over the past two days, as Iraqi forces have sought to consolidate their gains by clearing explosive booby-traps left by the extremists and uncovering tunnels they dug to elude airstrikes.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Philippines make the most its English ability

MANILA -- Amid central Manila's construction boom, a redevelopment project by Ayala Land is especially eye-catching. The project includes a 69-story building and a condominium whose apartments go for an average 80 million pesos ($1.65 million). That is almost on a par with prices in Tokyo, yet the real estate developer said it received a flood of inquiries when the apartments went on sale in June. Investors are buying the company's shares in expectation of higher revenues. The share price rose about 14% from the start of the year to the end of September. The Ayala project highlights the rising income levels in the Philippines. Taking advantage of its large English-speaking population, the country has become one of the biggest providers of business process outsourcing services. Surging employment in this sector has created a consumption boom among the growing middle class. Robinsons Retail Holdings, which operates convenience store and supermarket chains, saw its sales rise 6...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gwanda chakwamba dies

Chakuamba was one of the great politicians in Malawi, he had problems of heart before. Since his jovial and vocal political career dating way to the middle 1980s , Chakuamba has been a bonafide and controversial member of ‘big’ political parties like the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) , United Democratic Front (UDF) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and was recently affiliated to former governing Peoples Party (PP) prior to the May 20 Tripartite elections .He was born on 4 April 1934. During the rule of President Hastings Kamuzu Banda, he held many cabinet positions and was Commander of the MCP youth group Malawi Young Pioneers. Known for his temperamental nature, Chakuamba was a fearless opponent of John Tembo. One account has it Tembo and Chakuamba squared up for a fist fight at Nasawa MYP Training Base where Dr. Banda was within minutes of arriving to inaugurate the 1976 Youth Week Rally. I n February 1980, Chakuamba was ‘charged’, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tanzani When the earthquake struck, the brick walls simply crumbled at the orphanage in Tanzania

  Tanzani When the earthquake struck, the brick walls simply crumbled at the orphanage in Tanzania's far northwestern Kagera region.Clutching one of the youngest children, Saada Suleiman said she tried to run as Saturday's tremormade the ground heave beneath her feet."I felt something, as though someone was pushing me from behind, and suddenly the building was shaking," said Suleiman, who operates the Uyacho Orphanage Centre in Bukoba township. 
Post a Comment
Read more