TEHRAN (FNA)- Iraqi security forces made gains on the ground against the ISIL Takfiri group, advancing to break the siege of the town of Dhuluiyah in Iraq's Northern central province of Salahuddin, a provincial security source said.
The security forces, backed by Shiite militias and aircraft, advanced from several directions toward the town of Dhuluiyah, some 90 km North of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the source said on condition of anonymity, Xinhua reported.
The troops seized town of Yathrib, just South of Dhuluiyah, and the nearby areas of Aziz Balad and Tal al-Dahab, while other troops moved toward Dhuluiyah from the North after they cleared the rural areas from the Takfiri militants and seized the small town of Banat al-Hassan, the source said.
More troops and Shiite militias advanced from the East and seized al-Dhuluiyah airport, just East of the town, and are heading to the edge of the town, the source added.
Dhuluiyah is home to the Sunni tribe of al-Jubour, who have been fighting the ISIL militants for several months. The Takfiri militants seized the town in mid June, but were driven away from the Southern part of the town, where the tribesmen homes are located. The ISIL Takfiri militants are only seizing the Northern part of the town and imposing a siege on it.
Saturday's operations were part of a series of offensives by the Iraqi forces to retake control of the town of Dhuluiyah and the nearby areas.