Hawija retaken from ISIS: Iraqi army
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi armed forces have retaken Hawija from ISIS, the Joint Operations Command announced Thursday morning.
The 9th armored division, Federal Police, Rapid Response force, and brigades of the Hashd al-Shaabi have “completely liberated” Hawija, the command stated.
Operations continue to clear ISIS from areas east of the town.
Iraqi armed forces stepped up their assault on the ISIS stronghold on Wednesday.
The town of Hawija was the centre of a pocket of ISIS territory southeast of Kirkuk. From there, ISIS carried out frequent, deadly attacks on Peshmerga and civilians in Kirkuk province.
Before operations began, the US-led coalition estimated there were fewer than 1,000 ISIS militants in the Hawija area. The operation began two weeks ago. The Peshmerga, which had several fronts with ISIS in the area, have provided some support to the Iraqi forces but have largely stayed out of the offensive.
On Tuesday, the UN estimated that as many as 78,000 civilians remained trapped in Hawija. Since the military operation began, some 12,500 people had fled the offensive. An estimated 4,000 civilians fled to Kurdish-controlled areas as of Wednesday, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) office coordinating humanitarian relief.
Last updated at 9:35 am
The 9th armored division, Federal Police, Rapid Response force, and brigades of the Hashd al-Shaabi have “completely liberated” Hawija, the command stated.
Operations continue to clear ISIS from areas east of the town.
Iraqi armed forces stepped up their assault on the ISIS stronghold on Wednesday.
The town of Hawija was the centre of a pocket of ISIS territory southeast of Kirkuk. From there, ISIS carried out frequent, deadly attacks on Peshmerga and civilians in Kirkuk province.
Before operations began, the US-led coalition estimated there were fewer than 1,000 ISIS militants in the Hawija area. The operation began two weeks ago. The Peshmerga, which had several fronts with ISIS in the area, have provided some support to the Iraqi forces but have largely stayed out of the offensive.
On Tuesday, the UN estimated that as many as 78,000 civilians remained trapped in Hawija. Since the military operation began, some 12,500 people had fled the offensive. An estimated 4,000 civilians fled to Kurdish-controlled areas as of Wednesday, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) office coordinating humanitarian relief.