ERBIL, Iraq
The Iraqi Peshmerga forces have wrestled control from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorist group in key areas in northern Iraq, the Kurdish Regional Government said Wednesday.
The Peshmerga are the Kurdish fighters of the Erbil-based semiautonomous government in Iraq. The gains were made with support from the U.S.-led coalition that is carrying out airstrikes against the terrorist group.
"The coalition forces not only conduct airstrikes targeting ISIL targets, but they also train the Iraqi military and Peshmerga forces. They provide weapons aid as well," General-Secretary of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs Jabar Yawar told The Anadolu Agency.
Peshmerga forces have regained control of a lot of areas with the help of friends and operations are ongoing to recapture the remaining areas, Yawar said.
"We have regained control of a big part of northern Mosul, including three towns, 75 villages and many residential areas," said a Peshmerga commander of the eastern side of the Tigris River, Zaim Ali.
This was largely due to the help of coalition forces, Ali said.
The Iraqi military has already recaptured many towns and villages in Anbar, Saladin and Diyala provinces, local sources previously said, adding that joint operations with the Peshmerga were ongoing in Kirkuk city.
Plan to liberate Mosul
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is working on a plan to liberate Mosul with the help of Shia militia and Peshmerga forces.
Foreign military consultants have been training the army troops around Mosul for this purpose.
Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi visited Erbil last week and called for the Peshmerga to be a part of the plan.
Since mid-June, the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been pitted against the ISIL militants, who have taken control of large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. is leading an international coalition, which includes France, Germany, and Saudi Arabia and has carried out numerous airstrikes against the ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
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