At least 74 fighters of the Islamic State group were killed in an attack in Iraq's Kirkuk region. The provincial governor on Monday declared the three-day clash with Iraqi forces over. "The attack is over, and life has returned to normal," Najm al-Din Karim told AFP. "The security forces have killed more than 74 Daesh [Islamic State] terrorists and detained several others, including their leader."
Besides the militants, 46 people died in the attack, which was seen as an attempt by the Islamic State group to distract Iraqi troops from their operation to capture Mosul from them. Most of the casualties were security forces. According to Karim, the leader of the group that launched the strike said around 100 of their fighters were involved in the attack, some of whom had fled on Saturday.
The militants had targeted the oil-rich region, located 170 km from Mosul, with assault rifles and explosives. They had attacked police stations and stormed a power plant north of Kirkuk before blowing themselves up.
On October 17, government troops and Kurdish militias – backed by a United States-led coalition – launched an offensive to capture the country's second largest city, in the largest military operation since the US withdrew its troops from Iraq in 2014. Mosul is the Islamic State group's last stronghold in Iraq. If the operation is successful, it will deal a lasting blow to the outfit's influence in the region.
While the Iraqi Army is trying to advance on Mosul from the south, Kurdish militias are making their way towards the city from the east and north. On Sunday, Kurdish fighters took control of the town of Bashiqa, around 12 km northeast of Mosul, Reuters reported. Around 80 villages on the outskirts of Mosul have been secured since the offensive was launched.
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