Iraqi army destroys six terrorist hotbeds and detonates three explosives in Nineveh

The Iraqi army destroyed on Monday six Islamic State hotbeds and detonated three explosive charges in Tal Afar district in Nineveh.

Speaking to the Arabic-language Alghad Press website, spokesman for the Security Media Center Maj. Gen. Yahya Rasool said that a force from Salahuddin Operations Command carried out a security operation in al-Salam village, south of Tal Afar, managing to destroy six terrorist hotbeds.

“The troops also detonated three explosive charges,” he said.

Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced in August 2017 that Nineveh province was fully liberated from Islamic State after the district of Tal Afar was recaptured.

The announcement came after the defeat of the jihadist group in the town of Ayadiya, where the militants had fled to from Tal Afar.

Islamic State militants seized control of much of Nineveh, including the provincial capital of Mosul, in June 2014.

The Iraqi government launched an operation to retake Tal Afar on 20 August involving some 50,000 personnel from the army, air force, federal police, special forces and the Shia Muslim-led paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces.

Source: Iraqi News