The Iraqi army claims Hawijah has fallen

The Iraqi military claimed Thursday the liberation of the strategic town of Hawijah, after a two-week operation to drive ISIS from its last stronghold in northern Iraq. The statement by the operation’s commander, Lt. Gen. Abdel Amir Yarallah, said that Iraqi forces “liberated the whole of the center of Hawija and are continuing their advance.” The operation to retake the town, which is located in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, was fought by Iraqi troops and police forces, backed by the pro-Iranian Popular Mobilization Units.