Shia militias open new front in battle for Mosul

 Shia militias say they have launched an assault to the west of Mosul, opening up a new front in the battle to drive ISIL from the country’s second city and the group’s last major bastion in the country. The coalition of militias, known as the Popular Mobilisation Units, had not played a heavy part in […]

 Shia militias say they have launched an assault to the west of Mosul, opening up a new front in the battle to drive ISIL from the country’s second city and the group’s last major bastion in the country.

The coalition of militias, known as the Popular Mobilisation Units, had not played a heavy part in the fighting but the offensive on Saturday indicates a bigger role than many observers had anticipated.

Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from Iraq, said that though many towns and villages on the road to Mosul had been taken by the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, the city itself – and ISIL’s position there – remained as formidable as it was before the operation to take the city began 12 days ago.

“The idea behind this … is that the western part of Mosul has been uncontested so far,” El Shayyal said. “And that’s probably the most important frontier because it’s the one that leads to Syria.”

The militia forces leading the attack plan to cut off the route between Mosul and Syria and help besiege ISIL-held Mosul from all sides, he said.