Engineering units are now clearing the town of unexploded ordnance and booby traps, Taqfik added.
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Iraqi officials say the minister of defense has received a no-confidence vote from parliament after weeks of political wrangling over corruption allegations. Iraqi lawmakers today voted to impeach Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi over corruption allegations, MPs said.
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A Baghdad-based spokesman on Thursday said the coalition remained committed to supporting Iraqi security forces, declining to speculate on the possibility of fallout on the battlefield from al-Obeidi’s departure, which he called “a matter for the government of Iraq”. You have now viewed your allowance of free articles.
Abadi issued a statement hailing what he said was a key step towards reclaiming Mosul, IS’s de facto Iraq capital and the country’s second city.
They had already retaken the Qayyarah air field, which ISIL was not using because it has no air force but which Iraqi aircraft will soon be using against the “takfiris”. Al-Abadi said the victory marks an “important step” on the road to Mosul.
In July, the Iraqi army dislodged ISIS from the Qayyara airbase, turning it into a support center for future offences against ISIS-held Mosul – the largest city under the terrorist group’s control in both Iraq and Syria.
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The police say separate roadside bombings on busy commercial streets in northern and southern Baghdad killed five and wounded 17 on Thursday.
