MAKHMOUR –Iraqi troops based on the Makhmour front launched a military operation early on Sunday to retake the village of Kharaib Jabr from the Islamic State (ISIS) and further push the group away from the area.A Kurdish officer in the Iraqi army who wanted to be identified by his first name Zana, told Rudaw that many militants are inside the village as well as civilians.

“The number of houses in the village is estimated at 300 but it is not clear how many people are inside,” he said. “We are moving slowly and very carefully.”





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He said that the army advance is slow due to ISIS explosives and mines, adding that coalition fighter jets are backing the operation.The village of Kharaib Jabr is on a key road to the village of Haji Ali, another strategic point for the army where they expect fierce resistance from ISIS.“There is cooperation and coordination between Iraqi soldiers and coalition forces,” he said. “For example, we let them know where large numbers of (ISIS) militants were hiding and they bombed them before our forces moved forward,” Zana explained.The militants in the village have set on fire many tires to conceal their locations in smoke and escape air strikes, he said.The offensive, Iraqi army’s first in the area in many months, is believed to be part of larger operations to get closer to the ISIS stronghold of Mosul.The officer reported that the militants have responded to the army offensive with truck bombs and suicide bombers.The Kurdish Peshmerga are 10km from the scene of battle. They are not part of today’s operation but are on alert, said an officer.