Iraqi forces regained control of 10,850 square kilometers from the Islamic State (ISIS) in Hawija, a military spokesman said on Thursday (October 12). Spokesman of Joint Operations Room of the Iraqi Army, Yahya Rasul, said during a press conference with Coalition forces spokesman, Colonel Ryan Dillon, that the Iraqi forces backed by the Coalition, continue advancing against the ISIS militants. “We will celebrate victory over the recapture of the areas controlled by Daesh”, Rasul added, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. The Iraqi Prime Minister last week confirmed the capture of Hawija, ISIS’ last stronghold in the north of the country, leaving the militant group holed up in pockets of land near the Syrian border.
