Iraqi forces and Kurdish troops have taken 19 villages on the first day of a major offensive to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Daesh militants.
The Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a much-awaited operation late Sunday to retake Mosul – the last Daesh stronghold in northern Iraq, which was overrun by the terrorist group in 2014.
In a statement, the command of Peshmerga forces said its soldiers – who are deployed along the Al-Kazir axis east of Mosul -- have liberated nine villages from Daesh group.
According to the statement, U.S.-led coalition warplanes struck 17 Daesh targets in Mosul and destroyed four car-bombs.
Peshmerga officer Suran Nouri said 24 Daesh militants had been killed and four car-bombs destroyed on the first day of the Mosul offensive.