Iraqi forces have retaken Al-Baaj district near the Syrian border from ISIL, as part of operations to expel the militant group from the country's north. 

On May 12, an operation was launched to retake the Qayrawan and Al-Baaj areas west of Mosul, the country's second city that has been the target of a massive anti-ISIL operation. On May 23, the forces announced that they had retaken Qayrawan.

Backed by the US-led coalition, Iraqi forces have been moving to expel ISIL from Mosul since October. The terrorist group took over large areas of Iraq and Syria in 2014, but have faced offensives on several fronts in both countries since then.