Shi’ite militias claim to be in control of all territory west of Mosul except for Tal Afar, which they say they are waiting for permission to enter. Originally, the militias were told to keep out of Mosul operations and work on Hawija instead. Ignoring those orders, they launched their own operations west of Mosul and promised to stay out of that city and Tal Afar, where the residents demanded they stay away. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi revealed that operations on Tal Afar and Hawija will begin soon.
At least 165 were killed and 46 were wounded in recent violence. Also, 300 bodies were found in a mass grave:
A mass grave containing about 300 bodies was discovered in Tikrit.
Militants attacked Shirqat, killing 38 people and wounding 40 more. About half the fatalities were civilian. Two dozen militants were killed before the group was repelled around noon.
In Mosul, mortars killed eight and wounded five more. Over 100 militants were killed in fighting.
A militant explosives expert and two companions were killed in an airstrike on the Diyala-Salah ad Din border.
A bomb in Abbara killed a farmer and wounded another.
Security forces killed three militants in a boat near the Adhaim Dam.
