The Iraqi army, backed by the international coalition air force, launched a major offensive to pursue ISIS militants in Makhoul Mountains, ISIS's most dangerous hideout in the northern regions.
The Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, said in a statement Sunday, that the operation was launched following directives of Prime Minister and Commander in chief, Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Shammari stated that the wide-range offensive will cover Khanuka and Makhoul mountain ranges and will continue for several days.
He named the units participating in the operation, including the 9th division of the army, the Special Forces Command, Nineveh Operations Command, the leadership of the Federal Police forces, rapid response brigade, units of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and units of the Counter-Terrorism Service, with the support of the army and international coalition air forces.
For his part, the Joint Operations Command spokesman Tahsin al-Khafaji confirmed that the operation was launched, indicating that the Iraqi forces "pursued a new tactic.”
The Security Media Cell announced that the operation achieved its first objectives, uncovering 14 explosive devices, two tunnels, a missile platform, and various kinds of weapons and missiles.
The Popular Mobilization Forces announced that its units found and destroyed a number of tunnels used by ISIS terrorists in the mountains, adding that the forces will continue to cleanse the area in the north of Saladin governorate.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Center of the Republic for Strategic Studies, Moataz Mohiuddin, told Asharq al-Awsat that the operation was launched after Iraqi forces discovered important confidential ISIS documents in Kanous island, south of Mosul.
He explained that the units found very important names and locations of bases that were the focus of the previous operations, noting that there was a shift in the nature of the attacks, especially with ISIS officially announcing that the attacks were in response to the assassination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Mohiuddin confirmed that a number of Iraqi military teams that participated in the operations against the terrorist organization had cleansed these areas, noting that the documents found on Kanous island revealed the presence of numbers of ISIS terrorists, especially in the Hamrin and Makhoul mountains.
He explained that the Iraqi and international coalition forces were unable to cleanse the island for about six years, but the Iraqi forces recently achieved victory in Kanous.
Mohiuddin cautioned that Makhoul Mountains are still important locations for the terrorists as they contain caves that were used by the former regime.
