ATTACK LAUNCHED TO RETAKE ISIL-HELD TOWN NEAR MOSUL

Iraqi forces have launched a new military operation to recapture a key town north of Baghdad from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The push to take Shirqat is backed by paramilitary troops, mostly Shiite militiamen. The town lies near the city of Mosul, which is ISIL’s last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the operation in a televised statement on Tuesday from New York where he’s attending the UN General Assembly meetings. He described the operation as a “new phase for the heroic operations.”

It’s unclear yet if the forces are backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.

Shirqat, about 250 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, was among the first areas to fall into ISIL hands in the militants’ June 2014 blitz.