SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi forces alongside Hashid al-Shaabi fighters have cleansed several areas during an operation against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Nineveh province, the paramilitary group said on Tuesday.
The Iraqi forces along with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) paramilitary group launched a large-scale operation against ISIS militants in in areas on the border between Iraq and Syria on Monday.
Hashid al-Shaabi’s Nineveh Operations Command said several areas including Rajm al-Adhama, al-Tharthar valley, Tal Ghazal, al-Aqarib bridge and the village of al-Maymwni were cleansed during the operation.
“The forces entered 55 kilometers in depth and 50 kilometers in width of the desert,” the PMF said in a statement.
“The operation also resulted in the discovery of a large ISIS hideouts in the depths of the desert,” it added.
The federal government announced victory over ISIS by the end of 2017 after Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led Coalition regained control of areas once captured by the militant group.
Despite its defeat, ISIS still poses a threat to the security and stability of the country as there are still sleeper cells in Iraq.
