Press TV- Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, also known asHashd al-Sha'abi, have captured a road that links the two strategically important towns of Tal Afar and Sanjarto the west of Mosul.
The achievement effectively seals off Mosul, the last stronghold of Daesh in Iraq. The city is already surrounded on the northern, southern, and eastern parts by government troops.
According to Iraqs al-Sumaria TV network, the roadwhich is Daesh's last remaining supply route linking Mosul to other Iraqi cities as well as to eastern Syriahas now been cut off.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi charged Hashd al-Sha'abiwith thetask of liberating the nearby town of Tal Afar which lies on a key road used by Daesh terrorists to move back and force toSyria.
Aspokesman of thevolunteer forces said the liberation of Tal Afarlocatedabout 55 km west of Mosul neededhighly trained forces capable of fighting in urban areas.
Abadi's order came asreports said some70 high-ranking Daesh commanders were leaving Tal Afar for the northern Syrian city of al-Raqqah.
Reports also said the self-proclaimed media minister of Daesh was killed in an Iraqi airstrike in Nineveh province. The manidentified as Zaid Khorwahwas reportedly responsible for the production of Daesh propaganda videos.
Troops tookcontrol of the Kara Tepe village in the northern provinceand raised the national flag over several buildings there.
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A member of Popular Mobilization Units looks towards the direction of incoming sniper fire at Tal Afar airport, northern Iraq, on November 20, 2016. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]Hashd al-Sha'abifighters meanwhileshot down a Daesh drone which wascollecting information on the positions and movements of volunteer forcesover westernMosul.
Elsewhereinthe town of al-Qaim, about150 families were reported to have fledDaesh militants.
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Soldiers from the Iraqi Special Forces patrol in a street of Adan neighborhood of Mosul on November 22, 2016. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]Iraqi government troops and Kurdish forces were preparing to liberateHawijahabout 282 kilometers north of Baghdad, with one military commander saying thatsome 2,000 Daesh terrorists wereholed up in the city.
Hawijah slipped into Daesh hands in June 2014, and is considered one of the main strongholds of the terrorist group in Iraq.
