Iraq’s Hashd Shaabi volunteer forces announced on Sunday they have completely liberated Baaj area, near the border with Syria, from ISIL Takfiri forces.

The capture of Baaj shrinks the area under control of the insurgents in the border region between Iraq and Syria, where ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed to be hiding, according to Iraqi and US sources.

Meanwhile, Hashd deputy commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis congratulated Iraqi people on liberating Baaj, noting that the event is a great and qualitative achievement against Takfiri terrorists.

Baaj lies west of Mosul and south of Mount Shingal.

The Hashd announced last week they had reached the Syrian border and begun to clear it of ISIL terrorists.

While the Iraqi armed forces have been engaged in tough clashes against ISIL inside Mosul, the paramilitary forces have been charged with ridding ISIL from areas west of Mosul, all the way to the Syrian border.

Last week the force declared it had cleared the town of Qairawan and its surroundings of ISIL militants.

This progress is part of the second phase of a wide-scale operation dubbed “Muhammed Rasulullah” to take remaining areas from Takfiri terrorists in northern Iraq.

Source: Agencies