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| Iraqi army takes back Kirkuk, moves on ISIS-held Christian town amid Mosul offensive | Iraqi army takes back Kirkuk, moves on ISIS-held Christian town amid Mosul offensive |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Iraqi army has retaken control of Kirkuk, repulsing Islamic State militants who launched a large-scale attack on the town on Friday. The army is now moving to recapture Qaraqosh, Iraq’s largest Christian town, amid the ongoing Mosul offensive. | The Iraqi army has retaken control of Kirkuk, repulsing Islamic State militants who launched a large-scale attack on the town on Friday. The army is now moving to recapture Qaraqosh, Iraq’s largest Christian town, amid the ongoing Mosul offensive. |
| On Friday, Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS/ISIL) ‘sleeper cells’ launched an attack on government buildings in Kirkuk, sparking clashes with security forces. After almost 24 hours of heavy fighting, the Iraqi army managed to defeat the jihadists. All of the attackers were either killed or blew themselves up, Brigadier General Khattab Omer of the Kirkuk police said on Saturday, according to AP. A total of at least 46 people, mostly members of the security forces, died in the battle, AFP reported, citing security and medical sources. | On Friday, Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS/ISIL) ‘sleeper cells’ launched an attack on government buildings in Kirkuk, sparking clashes with security forces. After almost 24 hours of heavy fighting, the Iraqi army managed to defeat the jihadists. All of the attackers were either killed or blew themselves up, Brigadier General Khattab Omer of the Kirkuk police said on Saturday, according to AP. A total of at least 46 people, mostly members of the security forces, died in the battle, AFP reported, citing security and medical sources. |
| “We have 46 dead and 133 wounded, most of them members of the security services,” a brigadier general from Iraq’s Interior Ministry told AFP. | “We have 46 dead and 133 wounded, most of them members of the security services,” a brigadier general from Iraq’s Interior Ministry told AFP. |
| The number of casualties was given to the agency by a source at the Kirkuk health directorate. The brigadier general claimed that at least 25 militants were killed, but there have been reports that some are still fighting. | |
| Rudaw news agency claimed that skirmishes between police and militants were ongoing in several parts of the city on Saturday. | |
| The assault on Kirkuk was intended to divert the army’s attention from its offensive to liberate Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city and the Islamists’ stronghold in Iraq, which is located some 174 kilometers (108 miles) from Kirkuk. | The assault on Kirkuk was intended to divert the army’s attention from its offensive to liberate Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city and the Islamists’ stronghold in Iraq, which is located some 174 kilometers (108 miles) from Kirkuk. |
| On Saturday, Iraqi forces launched a new push to retake the town of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah or Bakhdida, which is located just 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Mosul. The majority of the town’s population was forced to flee when IS militants seized it back in 2014, as anyone who was not Muslim was given an ultimatum: leave, convert to Islam, remain Christian and pay special taxes, or die. The town is now believed to be largely uninhabited. | On Saturday, Iraqi forces launched a new push to retake the town of Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah or Bakhdida, which is located just 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of Mosul. The majority of the town’s population was forced to flee when IS militants seized it back in 2014, as anyone who was not Muslim was given an ultimatum: leave, convert to Islam, remain Christian and pay special taxes, or die. The town is now believed to be largely uninhabited. |
| Earlier this week, Iraqi special forces captured Bartella, a Christian village north of Qaraqosh, but they are still facing pockets of resistance in the area. There are several Christian towns near Mosul, including Tel Askof, Tel Keif, and Qaramless, which were also captured by the Islamists back in 2014. | Earlier this week, Iraqi special forces captured Bartella, a Christian village north of Qaraqosh, but they are still facing pockets of resistance in the area. There are several Christian towns near Mosul, including Tel Askof, Tel Keif, and Qaramless, which were also captured by the Islamists back in 2014. |
| Two anonymous army officers told AP that the Iraqi army is now advancing on Qaraqosh from both the north and south, backed by US-led coalition’s airstrikes. | Two anonymous army officers told AP that the Iraqi army is now advancing on Qaraqosh from both the north and south, backed by US-led coalition’s airstrikes. |
| The move on Qaraqosh is part of a large-scale offensive to liberate Mosul that was launched on Monday, in what may be the biggest battle in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003. It is expected to take weeks, if not months. The advance has been complicated by mines that the militants have planted along approaches to the city. Iraqi forces have run into roadside bombs and been attacked by suicide truck bombers, as well as snipers, as they move closer to Mosul. | The move on Qaraqosh is part of a large-scale offensive to liberate Mosul that was launched on Monday, in what may be the biggest battle in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003. It is expected to take weeks, if not months. The advance has been complicated by mines that the militants have planted along approaches to the city. Iraqi forces have run into roadside bombs and been attacked by suicide truck bombers, as well as snipers, as they move closer to Mosul. |
| Meanwhile, the UN human rights office reported on Friday that IS militants have taken some 550 families from villages around Mosul and are thought to be holding them as ‘human shields’ close to jihadist positions inside the city. The aftermath of the Mosul campaign could require the “largest and most complex” humanitarian relief operation in the world, as up to one million people may be forced from their homes, according to the UN. | Meanwhile, the UN human rights office reported on Friday that IS militants have taken some 550 families from villages around Mosul and are thought to be holding them as ‘human shields’ close to jihadist positions inside the city. The aftermath of the Mosul campaign could require the “largest and most complex” humanitarian relief operation in the world, as up to one million people may be forced from their homes, according to the UN. |