Shiite forces declared Baaj is free from ISIS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi declared on Sunday it had controlled Baaj town on the Iraq-Syria border.
 
Baaj is Iraq’s the second largest town. It lies west of Mosul and south of Mount Shingal. 

The Hashd announced last week they had reached the Syrian border and begun to clear it of ISIS militants.
 
While the Iraqi armed forces have been engaged in tough clashes against ISIS inside Mosul, the Iranian backed-Hashd al-Shaabi have been charged with ridding ISIS from areas west of Mosul, all the way to the Syrian border.
 
Last week the force declared it had cleared the town of Qairawan and its surroundings of ISIS militants.
 
This progress is part of the second phase of a wide-scale operation named “Muhammed Rasululla” to take remaining areas from ISIS militants in northern Iraq.