SULAYMANIYAH (Sputnik) — Some 5,000 Kurdish fighters armed by large-caliber weapons were participating in the offensive, the statement added.
"Peshmerga forces have launched a large-scale offensive in Iraqi Kurdistan to liberate strategically important settlements in Hazir district located in the province of Mosul from Daesh terrorist organization. The operation in the vicinity of Hazir started early in the morning and is being conducted successfully," the statement said.
Hazir is located some 20 miles from Mosul and some 35 miles from Erbil, which is the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
The second largest Iraqi city of Mosul was captured by the militants of the jihadist group, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United Kingdom, in 2014.
