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BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's government-sanctioned paramilitary forces have launched a new push to capture villages west of Mosul that have been under the control of Islamic State militants.
A spokesman for one of the mostly Shiite militias says a car bomb exploded near the advancing troops, killing three and wounding 14 others. But he says at least 17 IS militants were killed in the fighting.
The villages being targeted are located southwest of the town of Tal Afar, still held by the Islamic State group.
The move by the umbrella group known as the Popular Mobilization Forces is likely coordinated with government efforts to recapture the western part of Mosul from IS. Iraqi government forces this week took a strategic southern hilltop overlooking the Mosul city airport.
The militants have already been driven from the eastern half of the city, which is divided by the Tigris River.
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