Story highlights Iraqi forces claim 79 ISIS militants killed on first day of operation

Mosul's west bank has been one of the Iraqi force's toughest challenges

(CNN) Iraq has launched an operation to regain control of western Mosul from ISIS militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Sunday.

The operation comes weeks after Iraqi forces recaptured eastern Mosul across the Tigris River. On the first day of the new offensive, Iraqi Federal Police forces said they killed 79 ISIS militants, destroyed weapons facilities and regained control of 10 villages.

The prime minister described the operation as a "new dawn" in the liberation of Mosul, ISIS' last major stronghold in the country.

"Go forward with my blessing, heroic forces of Iraq," he said on state television.

Fighters of the Popular Mobilisation paramilitaries prepare defensive positions near the frontline village of Ayn al-Hisan, on the outskirts of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, on Saturday.

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