Seven terrorists of the Islamic State group were killed, while 16 others were wounded during an offensive of the Popular Mobilization Units in Jalam Samarra region.
Fighters of the Popular Mobilization Units (Photo: persianherald.com.au)
At least 23 terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) group were wounded and killed during an offensive of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Al-Hashd al-Shaabi, in Jalam Samarra region, located in Salahuddin province, on Friday.
According to the PMU, its forces managed to kill seven IS members, while 16 others were wounded in the offensive.
The areas, located between Salahuddin and neighboring provinces, have been strenuously attacked by the IS, since October 2016, when the government forces launched a campaign, aimed to recapture Mosul city from the terrorist group. The PMU actively participate in securing of the recaptured areas and searching for dormant IS cells in Salahuddin and other provinces along with the Iraqi forces.
According to experts, the main goal of IS attacks on provinces outside Mosul is to distract the focus from the city and offset losses that the terrorist group has been suffering there.
Generals of the Iraqi forces and the allied US-led coalition noted that the IS started to weaken, as many of its senior leaders were killed or escaped from Mosul, as well as the terrorist group was isolated inside the city and lost its supply routes from Syria.
It is expected that after the liberation of Mosul city, the Iraqi forces will move on towards smaller IS pockets in Salahuddin, Kirkuk and Anbar.
Sorry to see PMU is not advancing to the Iraq/Syrian border, this may be 4 months away. But Deir Ezzor will hold out. Daesh dirtbags will bite the dust.
How did they escape from the city? Wheres Bagdadi?
They escaped when the offensive started months ago, the border with syria was still open to Mosul, they saw Raqqah as a more important goal and left Mosul to the local ISIS population and foreign suicide fighters.