ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- Iraqi troops are battling Islamic State (ISIS) in the town of Qayara south of Mosul for the second day, with the coalition air force and Iraqi artillery bombing the entrenched militants.
“The US-led coalition warplanes have been persistently bombing ISIS positions in Qayara. In the meantime, ISIS has transferred its heavy weapons into the town and they have been setting oil wells in the area on fire since yesterday,” said Hevidar Ahmed, Rudaw correspondent on the frontline.
According to Ahmed, “last night, a record number of US soldiers were stationed at the Qayara air base.”
Amin Shekhani, a Kurdish officer in the Iraqi army said that the majority of the ISIS militants in Qayara are of foreign nationality.
“Many of the ISIS militants fighting in Qayara are from Morocco, though many of them fled the town and got killed,” said Shekhani.
Iraqi troops captured the Qayara air base on Saturday after several weeks of military operation in the area that also freed ten villages from the extremist group.
Shekhani thought ISIS has been greatly weakened in the area as seen in their lack of resistance at the Qayara air base.
The Qayara base lies not far from Mosul which the Iraqi army said ISIS had turned into a bomb-making factory and a prison where many prisoners were freed upon its capture on Saturday.
The Iraqi army is approaching Qayara from the east and south hoping to isolate the town from reinforcements.
It is believed that the Qayara air base will be used by both the Iraqi army and its coalition partners in the final offensive against ISIS in Mosul city.
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