Iraq tribal fighters gain ground against ISIL in Nineveh
Iran Press TV
Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:25PM GMT
Tribal fighters have successfully driven the ISIL Takfiri militants out of the Iraqi town of Sinjar in the northwestern province of Nineveh.
According to an unnamed tribal leader in the province, the fighters inflicted heavy losses on the ISIL terrorists during clashes on Monday.
He added that unity among tribes in Salahuddin and Nineveh provinces along with the support of Iraqi air force have been the main factors in regaining control of areas occupied by the ISIL Takfiris.
The crisis in Iraq escalated after Takfiri ISIL terrorists took control of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh Province, on June 10, which was followed by the fall of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
The ISIL militants have announced a so-called caliphate in regions they have overrun in Iraq.
Soldiers of the Iraqi army, helped by tribal forces and volunteers, have been engaged in heavy fighting with the militants on different fronts and have so far been able to push back militants in several areas.
The United Nations said in a new report on July 18 that at least 5,576 civilians have been killed and 11,665 others wounded in Iraq since January.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said Saudi Arabia and Qatar are responsible for the security crisis and growing terrorism in his country, denouncing Riyadh as a major supporter of global terrorism.
MR/AB/SS
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