Dozens Killed in Two Car Bomb Blasts in Iraq’s Mosul Suburbs

Dozens of Iraqi civilians and security troops died Thursday after two car bombs went off near the Islamist-held city of Mosul, local media reported.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — The explosions tore through a Mosul suburb of Kokjali that was recaptured last month from Daesh terror group, the Alsumaria television channel reported.

The town is hosting Iraq’s elite special operations forces, known as the Golden Division. The exact number of casualties is not yet known.

A government-led operation to retake Mosul from militants of the group outlawed in Russia has been underway since mid-October with air support from an international coalition. The stronghold is regarded as the capital of the Daesh-proclaimed "caliphate."