Christian militia in northern Iraq says it liberated ISIS-held village for first time

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A Christian militia in northern Iraq said Saturday it had driven out Islamic State (ISIS) militants from the ethnically Assyrian village of Badanah, ending a two-year occupation.

The Nineveh Plains Protection Units said on its Facebook page that the village, on the Khazer war front south of Mosul, was liberated Thursday with air support by the US-led Coalition.

"Liberation of Badanah village in #Khazer axis by NPU warriors with the support of international coalition by airstrikes,” the Facebook announcement said, adding that heavy and medium-sized weapons were used in the fight.

The NPU said this was its first military operation against ISIS to liberate their “traditionally Christian village,” which was captured by the militants when they stormed across Iraq in June 2014, capturing territories that included Mosul, the ISIS stronghold in Iraq ever since.

Pictures and videos published on the group’s Facebook page showed the liberation of the village and flags being waved by the militiamen at dawn on Thursday.

The Nineveh plains, located mainly in the Nineveh province that includes Mosul, have been among the most volatile areas of Iraq, with a rich mixture of ethnic and religious groups.

Christian localities in the area have often been vulnerable amid the ongoing sectarian tensions that forced many of the families to leave their homes for the safety of the Kurdish-controlled territories or simply migrating to Europe.

Hundreds of Christian fighters have been trained by the Kurdish Peshmerga in the last two years and they have taken part in some frontline battles against the jihadists.

According to a Rudaw report published last June, around 1,000 Christian fighters in the Nineveh Plains have been undergoing military training, and asking Baghdad, Erbil and the international community for arms to liberate their territories from ISIS.

ISIS has suffered a series of setbacks in recent months, losing large swathes of territories that were under its control to the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi Army.

Iraqi authorities, including US military officials, say they expect to evict ISIS from its stronghold in Mosul this year.