The Iraqi Ministry of Defence on Friday (June 24th) announced the launch of a large-scale military operation to liberate the town of Makhul, north of Tikrit, from the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL).
Units from the Iraqi army, federal police and anti-terrorism agency are taking part in the operation, with support from international coalition and Iraqi aircraft, ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasul said.
"The town, located some 40 kilometres north of Tikrit, will return to its residents soon," Rasul told Al-Shorfa.
Iraqi forces "succeeded in the first few hours of the operation in helping dozens of civilians leave areas around the town", he said.
Meanwhile, Iraqi and coalition warplanes bombed ISIL strongholds and killed many of the group's fighters, inflicting heavy losses in its ranks, he said.
