Iraqi forces launch operation to retake Shirqat, near Mosul

Army and tribal forces pushed towards the town of Shirqat, around 80 kilometres [50 miles] south of Mosul.

Iraqi forces have already reconquered other towns north of Shirqat on the way to Mosul.

"The army has made some rapid advances into Shirqat, facing little resistance from IS militants," a military source told The New Arab.

"The Iraqi forces are continuing in their push into the town's centre," the source added.

Shirqat, about 155 miles [250km] northwest of Baghdad, was among the first areas to fall into IS hands in the militants' June 2014 blitz.

"The operation to liberate Shirqat started at 5:30 am [0230 GMT] from several directions... with the support of coalition forces," Joint Operations Command spokesman Yahya Rasool said.

"We are making good progress," Rasool said. "Shirqat is important; we can't move on Mosul while have terrorists control Shirqat."

Ahmed al-Assadi, the spokesman of the Hashed al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilisation] paramilitary force, also announced the operation.

"The sons of Hashed al-Shaabi and the Iraqi army backed by the air force launched the 'Shirqat Dawn' operation to finish expelling those terrorist gangsters from usurped Iraqi land," he said.

The Hashed al-Shaabi, which has played a big part in retaking IS-held areas since 2014, is nominally under the control of the prime minister but dominated by Tehran-backed Shia militia.

It also includes less powerful Sunni tribal forces supporting the government against IS.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the operation in a televised statement aired on Tuesday from New York, where he's attending the UN General Assembly meetings.

Abadi described the operation as a "new phase for the heroic operations".

Obama confident

While most towns and cities in Anbar are now under government control, IS fighters are still able to move across parts of the vast arid province and have continued to harass Iraqi forces.

While most towns and cities in Anbar are now under government control, IS fighters are still able to move across parts of the vast arid province

Army and tribal forces have been moving northwards from Baghdad for almost two years, gradually retaking areas over which IS declared its "caliphate" in June 2014.

They have left some pockets of IS militants on the way however - such as in Hawijah or in the Hamreen mountains - and priority was given to Qayyarah, a town further north which will be used as a launchpad for an offensive on Mosul.

Speaking before talks with Abadi, US President Barack Obama said he could see swift progress in the battle for Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq since government forces retook Fallujah in June.

"We feel confident that we will be in a position to move forward fairly rapidly," Obama said, vowing to fight "right at the heart of the [IS] operation in Mosul".

The US alone now has 4,460 troops in the country, backed by hundreds more from Western allies, advising and assisting Iraqi government and Kurdish forces.

Agencies contributed to this report.