The Lions of Ninawa, a newly formed combat force of tribal volunteers, is gearing up to expel the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) from western areas of the province.

At the end of last year, Iraqi MP for Ninawa province Ahmed Madloul al-Jarba requested that a tribal force be formed in Ninawa.

In April, he told Mawtani, he obtained the approval of the federal government and the Kurdish region to start establishing the new force.

"Following the approval we called on displaced members of western Ninawa tribes to volunteer for the force, and to that end we set up a volunteer training camp in Rabia district" west of Mosul, he said.

"Over the past two months, more than 1,000 volunteers have been trained," he said, and those fighters now form "the nucleus of the Lions of Ninawa tribal force".

"We also intend in the near future to train a similar number of volunteers in order to increase the number of members in the force to reflect the scale of the combat missions assigned to it," al-Jarba added.

Targeting ISIL strongholds in Ninawa

The newly trained tribal fighters are preparing to attack ISIL strongholds in western Ninawa villages and towns, specifically in the area stretching from south of Sinjar and west of Tal Afar to al-Baaj and the Syrian border, he said.

"The force will fully clear that geographical area of terrorists and drive them across the border," he said. "Securing the border area with Syria will be one of the force's main duties after liberation is completed."

The morale of the volunteers is high, al-Jarba said, and they are fully ready to fight ISIL and take back their area from the group.

"The people of these areas have been suffering for two years from ISIL's blockade and persecution and from the group's oppressive methods of denying their rights and overtaking their private property on various pretexts ," he said.

"Today all Ninawa tribes stand with the army to eradicate the terrorists in the province," he added.

Ninawa tribes fight alongside the army

"The tribal mobilisation forces in the province are participating very effectively in the fighting against ISIL's gangs," said Brig. Gen Firas Bashar Sabri, head of information and moral guidance at Ninawa operations command.

Three regiments composed of members of Ninawa tribes, including al-Jubur, al-Lahib and al-Sabawiyeen , are currently fighting alongside army forces to liberate areas south of Mosul, he told Mawtani.

"These local fighters enjoy enthusiasm and a great drive," Sabri said. "They are providing needed support to our military units advancing towards Mosul as part of 'The Conquest' operation launched March 25th."

Army forces aided by tribal fighters on June 14th recaptured the village of al-Nasr south of Mosul and raised the Iraqi flag over its buildings, he said.

The village is of strategic importance and its liberation is a great gain, he added.

"We continue to advance according to well prepared military plans that take into consideration the protection of civilians as a top priority," he said.

ISIL's resistance is crumbling by the day

"ISIL's resistance is diminishing every day," Sabri said.

"Its elements will not be able to hang in there for much longer against the advance of our forces, which over the last three months have caused the group casualties amounting to more than 1,300," he said.

The establishment of the Lions of Ninawa force is a "positive move to ramp up the pressure on ISIL", said security expert Jassim Hanoun, a former Ministry of Interior official.

The move is significant in its support of the military efforts to retake Mosul, he told Mawtani, adding that larger numbers of tribal volunteers may be needed.

"The victory achieved in Fallujah was a great victory by all standards and must be used well to further tighten the noose around the terrorists' neck and shut the border in their face," Hanoun said.