On Tuesday, Iraqi forces took control of previously Kurdish-held areas around Mosul in Nineveh province, northern Iraq, according to a Wednesday military statement as cited by Reuters. The Mosul Dam, to the north-west of the city, is among the positions retaken from Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
The territory was abandoned by the Peshmerga ahead of the arrival of the Iraqi troops. Previously, the Iraqi army had seized the major oil-producing region of Kirkuk, taking control of key infrastructure, roads and military bases.