But two days later the jihadists swept in, trapping him for years under their brutal rule and far from his home in the capital Baghdad. “Thank God, the Iraqi forces have liberated us,” he told AFP, refusing to give his real name as “the fear” still remains even though the IS fighters might be gone. In the past few years Iraqi troops have been battling to retake the swathes of territory that IS captured when they stormed through the country in 2014. Since launching the final offensive to retake the region last week Iraqi troops backed up by local Sunni fighters have captured “over 30 villages and advanced more than 90 kilometers,” commander Qassem al-Mohammedi told AFP. His men have quickly painted over the IS flag that was daubed across an arch at the entrance to Al-Obeidi.

Source: The Standard November 03, 2017 12:11 UTC