Iraqi forces have successfully completed the first phase of the liberation operation of al-Sharqat from the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL), the Ministry of Defence announced Wednesday (September 21st).
All villages and towns around al-Sharqat, which is located south of Mosul, have been liberated, ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasul said, and Iraqi forces are now at the entrances of the city.
"International coalition warplanes and the Iraqi army’s artillery are shelling ISIL's gatherings and sites as part of the second phase of 'Operation al-Sharqat Dawn'," he told Diyaruna.
