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Iraqi Troops Take Key Mosul Village in New Counter-ISIS Operation

Iraqi forces captured a key village near the city’s airport.

The newly-launched offensive in Mosul, Iraq, is progressing toward its goal of pushing ISIS fighters out of the terror group’s longtime stronghold. Iraqi troops reportedly stormed a village near the city’s airport on Monday, just a day after a new operation was announced in western Mosul in an attempt to liberate the rest of the city. The village, Albu Saif, is valuable strategically due to its proximity to the airport, according to CNN. The city of Mosul, first captured by ISIS in 2014, is divided in half by the Tigris River. Iraqi troops liberated eastern Mosul last month. As many as 350,000 children are believed to be trapped in western Mosul.