- Title: Iraqi army claims villages near Mosul from Islamic State, villagers react
- Date: 20th October 2016
- Summary: KHALIDIA, NEAR QAYYARA, IRAQ (OCTOBER 20, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF IRAQI ARMY VEHICLES ENTERING KHALIDIA VILLAGE ANTI-AIRCRAFT VEHICLE AT ROADSIDE ARMOURED VEHICLE CARRYING ROCKET PROPELLED GRENADE LAUNCHER, SOLDIER HOLDING UP "V" SIGN WITH FINGERS HEAD OF THE NINEVEH OPERATION, GENERAL ABDELKARIM SHWEILI, WALKING ALONGSIDE SOLDIERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF THE NINEVEH OPERATION, GENERAL ABDELKARIM SHWEILI, SAYING: "Today, thank God, our forces began an operation at 10 a.m. We began fighting and the (Islamic State) could not stand up to us, they were defeated in quick succession, until we freed the villages of Khalidia and Salihia. These images are all from Khalidia." IRAQI ARMY SOLDIERS WALKING THROUGH VILLAGE SOLDIERS GATHERED BY BUILDING SOLDIER WITH MOUNTED MACHINE GUN FEMALE VILLAGERS GATHERED NEAR BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN WHO LIVES IN KHALIDIA VILLAGE, SAYING: "Of course, things are much better now, before we were unable to come and go as we pleased, we were trapped. We had no food, no water. Now, thank God, it is much better." FEMALE VILLAGERS STANDING KHALIDIA RESIDENT, WAQQAD MOHAMMED, HOLDING A CHILD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) KHALIDIA RESIDENT, WAQQAD MOHAMMED, SAYING: "The situation was tragic because of Daesh (Islamic State), they would not even let us tend to our sheep. They would hit us daily, asking us about our beards and clothes. They beat us the other day because the sheep left the village." CHILDREN OUTSIDE BUILDING DAMAGED BUILDING VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS IN STREET
- Embargoed: 4th November 2016 11:39
- Keywords: Iraq Mosul Islamic State offensive Khalidia Qayyara
- Location: KHALIDIA, NEAR QAYYARA, IRAQ
- City: KHALIDIA, NEAR QAYYARA, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA00154T96X3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Iraqi army forces claimed control of Khalidia and Salihia villages, near Mosul, from Islamic State militants on Thursday (October 20) as government forces moved closer to the city.
The Iraqi government announced on Monday (October 17) the start of the offensive on Mosul, the country's second-largest city, two years after it fell to the militants who declared from its Grand Mosque a caliphate spanning parts of Iraq and Syria.
Khalidia and Salihia lie near the district of Qayyara, and General Abdelkarim Shweili, head of the Nineveh province operation, told Reuters the operation was going as planned.
"Today thank God, our forces began an operation at 10 a.m. We began fighting and the (Islamic State) could not stand up to us, they were defeated in quick succession, until we freed the villages of Khalidia and Salihia," said Shweili.
Residents of the village of Khalidia said they were happy to see the Iraqi army after many months of difficulties under the Islamic militants' rule.
"Of course, things are much better now," said one unidentified woman.
A shepherd who also lives in the village said he was happy to be able to care for his animals once again.
"The situation was tragic because of Daesh (Islamic State), they would not even let us tend to our sheep. They would hit us daily, asking us about our beards and clothes. They beat us the other day because the sheep left the village," said Waqqad Mohammed.
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are also steadily recovering outlying territory before the main push into the city begins.
The offensive to seize back the city is going faster than planned, Iraq's prime minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday.
The battle is expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Around 1.5 million people still live in Mosul and the battle is expected to last weeks or months. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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