Iraqi troops retake Shirqat back from ISIS

Iraqi: Iraqi troops have retaken the the Iraqi city of Shirqat from Islamic State group ISIS on Thursday. The military says its forces have pushed deeper into a key Islamic State-held town north of Baghdad days after launching an operation to retake it.

According to the Joint Military Operation Command, the Iraqi flag was hoisted on Thursday over the mayor's office and the main hospital complex in Shirqat.

Government forces backed by paramilitary troops, mostly Shiite militiamen, and aerial support from the US-led international coalition, launched the operation to retake Shirqat on Tuesday.

Shirqat lies near the city of Mosul, which is the group's last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

Shirqat, was among the first town to fall into the hands of IS during the group's June 2014 assault.