Iraqi forces retook an area near the Syrian border from the ISIS hardline Wahhabi terrorist group on Sunday as part of operations to expel the terrorists from strongholds in the country's north.
The Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces) announced the “total liberation” of Al-Baaj district “with support from the air force”.
"The Iraqi flag has been hoisted above its buildings," said a statement from the Hashed, an umbrella organisation for pro-Government paramilitaries that is dominated by Iran-backed Shi’ite militias.
The Hashed on May 12 launched an operation to retake the Qayrawan and Al-Baaj areas west of Mosul, the country's second city that is the target of a massive anti-ISIS operation. The forces on May 23 announced they had retaken Qayrawan.
Both areas are in Nineveh, the province of which Mosul is the capital, and lie between territory under IS control in Iraq and Syria.