Daesh Militants Set 5 Oil Wells South of Iraqi Mosul on Fire

Daesh militants set several oil wells south of Mosul, the de-facto capital of the jihadist group in Iraq, on fire to slow down the advance of the government army, local media reported Sunday citing a source in the security services.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Militants set five oil wells close to Qayyarah refinery in Nineveh Governorate on fire and mined roads in the area, Shafaq News reported.

It comes a day after the Iraqi troops liberated the Qayyarah airbase some 60 miles south of Mosul from Daesh militants.

Iraqi forces are carrying out operations in Nineveh in preparation for an assault on Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city that has been under Daesh control since 2014.

Daesh, which is a militant jihadist group outlawed in many countries, including Russia, overran large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014.