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Iraqi Forces Return Cross to Predominantly Christian Town Southeast of Mosul

Iraqi forces returned a cross atop St Barbara Church in Karemlash, a predominantly Christian town less than 18 miles southeast of Mosul, on Monday, October 24, after liberating it from Islamic State (IS). Footage released by Iraqi news agency Al-Mawsleya showed soldiers replacing the cross and raising Iraqi flags over Karemlash, just one week after Iraqi forces launched an offensive to retake Iraq’s second largest city from IS.

North of Mosul, Kurdish Peshmerga forces surrounded the strategic town of Bashiqa on Monday. Bashiqa lies on a key supply route into Mosul, BBC reported, citing a Peshmerga commander.

Peshmerga forces attempted to capture Bashiqa last week, but withdrew after fierce clashes with Islamic State militants in the town broke out.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday that Turkish troops were involved in the fight against Islamic State in Bashiqa. The Iraqi military’s joint operations command later denied these claims. Credit: YouTube/al-Mawsleya