Battle for Mosul Day 36:

Hashd Al-Shaabi Kicks Off 4th Phase of Mosul Operation

Rasa - The Mosul liberation operation continued on Tuesday as Iraq's volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) started the fourth phase of the military operations in areas on the Western side of Mosul.

News ID: 425245

Date: 22 November 2016 - 22:45

RNA - The Mosul liberation operation continued on Tuesday as Iraq's volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) started the fourth phase of the military operations in areas on the Western side of Mosul.

Hashd Al-Shaabi Kicks Off 4th Phase of Military Operations West of Mosul

Iraq's volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) started the fourth phase of the military operations in areas on the Western side of Mosul on Tuesday.

The main purpose of the third phase of the military operations in Western Mosul is to help Iraq's joint military forces to take control of areas between Tal Afar and the Syrian border, Hashd al-Shaabi said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement reiterated that another objective of the fresh military campaign in Western Mosul is to cut off the terrorists' remaining supply routes from Tal Afar to the Syrian border.

It said that the Iraqi volunteer forces plan to advance further after seizing back more lands to the West of Mosul city.

Another Mass Grave Containing 200 Bodies Unearthed in Mosul

Iraqi forces discovered another mass grave in Southern vicinity of ISIL-held city of Mosul as the Iraqi military forces and their allies continue their clearing operation in the areas liberated since the start of the operation to retake the Northern Iraqi city.

The gruesome discovery was made just in matter of days after the Iraqi forces found a mass grave containing the remains of suspected victims of the ISIL executions in a village recently retaken from the terrorists near Mosul, Sky Press reported.

The newly-discovered grave, said to contain at least 200 bodies executed by ISIL, was found near Mosul after security forces spotted stray dogs digging into the ground in Hammam al-Alil and pulling out corpses.

Iraqi Forces Liberate Abbasiyeh Village Northeast of Mosul from ISIL

The Iraqi forces completely liberated the Abbasiyeh village located to the Northeast of the city of Mosul from ISIL terrorist group, media reported Monday.

The liberation of the village Northeast of Mosul came hours after an Iraqi army spokesman announced that the village of Humeira to the East of Mosul city had been completely liberated from ISIL terrorists and the Iraqi flags have been raised on the rooftops of buildings in the village, Sputnik reported.

"Troops from the 16th brigade of the Iraqi army backed by the Nineveh guards have been able to liberate the village of Abbasiyeh in the waterfalls region located to the Northeast of Mosul, and they are getting ready to storm in the city from a new axis," Al Noor News network reported citing a security source.

Iraq's PMF Surrounds ISIL-Held Tal Afar West of Mosul

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) encircled ISIL-held Northwestern city of Tal Afar West of Mosul, the PMF command said Tuesday.

The volunteer forces aimed to encircle the city as well as to clear liberated villages of ISIL terrorists, the command said in a statement, RIA Novosti reported.

Tal Afar is the main ISIL stronghold between its self-proclaimed capital in Iraqi Mosul and Syrian territories under the control of the group in Syria, thus is deemed as a key part of ISIL's supply route to Iraq's second-largest city.

PMF forces have been advancing on the city over recent weeks, capturing dozens of villages.

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