By Jamal Badrani
NINEVEH, Iraq (AA) – Kurdish peshmerga forces have captured four villages southeast of Daesh-held Mosul city in northern Iraq.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Sunday, peshmerga officer Sherzad Zajuli said the Kurdish forces have taken the villages of Abzakhtakh, Talhameed, Qarqashah, and Hamra.
“Peshmerga forces have also advanced 10 kilometers toward Daesh positions,” he said.
Zajuli said U.S.-led coalition warplanes thwarted an attempt by Daesh militants to carry out a suicide bombing to disrupt the advance of peshmerga forces into the city.
Iraqi forces are currently preparing to launch a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country’s second largest city, which was overrun by Daesh in 2014.
Backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, Iraqi forces have managed to retake most of the territory seized by Daesh since 2014. The terrorist group, however, still controls several parts in the country.
