Azernews.Az

By Gunay Hasanova

Turkey has sent units of its armed forces to the city of Silopi in south-eastern Sirnak province bordering Iraq, Turkish newspaper Haberturk reported on November 1.

Tanks, armored vehicles and other military equipment were sent to Silopi, the newspaper said.

Silopi is located 100 km to the north of Iraq’s Mosul, where a fight against the “Islamic State” (aka IS, ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group is taking place.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously announced preparations of the Turkish Armed Forces for ground operations to liberate the IS-held Mosul in Iraq.

An operation of Iraqi government troops to regain control over Mosul began on October 17. In addition to Iraqi government forces, the operation involves local Peshmerga militia (Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq).

The attack is supported by the international Anti-Terrorism Coalition’s Air Force.

The terrorist organization "Islamic State" considers Mosul as its main stronghold in Iraq.

Being one of the key oil centers of Iraq, the city of Mosul went entirely under the control of the IS terrorists in June 2014. It is the second largest city of Iraq with a population of 1.3 million people. The number of IG militants concentrated in Mosul is more than 6,000 people.

The UN informs that more than 3.4 million people are now displaced in Iraq -- more than half of them children, while more than 10 million are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

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Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova

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