Iraqi forces liberated three villages near al-Qayyara, south of Mosul, following battles with the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) in which the group sustained heavy losses, Ninawa Operations Commander Nejim Edin Karim al-Jubury said Thursday (June 30th).
"The army's 91st Brigade, stationed in Makhmour, has attacked ISIL strongholds in the villages of al-Karama, Deir Baz and Bawawi, only two kilometres away from al-Qayyara," al-Jubury told Al-Shorfa.
"The three villages have been fully recaptured, and several ISIL terrorists have been arrested, prompting the rest to flee the area," he said.
A suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest was killed before he could below himself up at the entrance of one of the villages, he added.
