Iraqi forces thwart Daesh attack south of Mosul

Iraqi army troops have managed to repel an attack by Daesh Takfiri terrorists on a recently liberated town to the south of Mosul.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the army had thwarted a Daesh attack on the town of Qayyarah, killing scores of terrorists, Iraq’s Al-Forat news agency reported.

Based on the report, 32 vehicles belonging to the terrorists were also destroyed in the operation. An unspecified number of Daesh militants also fled the area.

Iraqi forces recaptured the northern town of Qayyarah from the grip of Daesh in late August.

Qayyarah, which fell to Daesh in 2014, lies on the western bank of Tigris River, some 60 kilometers south of Mosul, the last remaining bastion for Daesh in the north of Iraq.

Iraqi forces have been preparing for a major offensive to liberate Mosul. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has, time and again, pledged that Iraqi troops will win back the city by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Iraqi troops repelled another Daesh attack in the province of Salahuddin, north of Baghdad, early on Monday.

Security sources have told Iraq’s Al-Sumaria news website that a Daesh attack on the city of al-Zawya in Salahuddin has been repelled, adding the terrorists suffered heavy losses in the clashes.

The news comes as the Iraqi army killed some 141 Daesh terrorists in several military operations across the country on Sunday.

Violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh launched its offensive in June 2014, and seized territory. Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.