Less than 24 hours into an Iraqi-led offensive to reclaim the largest region in the country under ISIS control, forces east of Mosul had achieved key objectives, clearing nine villages and extending control over a key road, the General Command of Peshmerga Forces of Kurdistan Region said. Peshmerga forces in Khazir cleared nine villages in an area measuring approximately 200 square kilometers, the command said. The villages include Baskhira, Tarjala, Kharbat Sultan, Karbirli, Bazgirtan, Shaquli, Badana Bchuk, Badana Gawre, Shekh Amir and a tile factory West of Hasan Shami. They also secured an additional significant stretch of the Erbil-Mosul road, the statement said. Read more http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/17/middleeast/mosul-isis-operation-begins-iraq/
