“The battle to liberate western Mosul started today in the morning. All units of Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi [the People's Mobilization Forces Shia militia] are taking part in the operation,” Jawad Talebawi, representative of one of the Shia units told Al Sumaria TV-channel.
On Friday, Iraqi Shia paramilitary groups announced they will join the ongoing battle for Iraq’s Mosul, the largest Daesh stronghold, crucial for crushing the violent extremist group.
On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of a military operation to retake Mosul from ISIL, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and a number of other states.
According to local media, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation, backed by airstrikes carried out by the US-led international coalition.
SPUTNIK/MNA
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