BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi Army's 9th Armored Division, backed by the Nineveh Plains Protection Units (Assyrian forces) and Popular Mobilization Units (Hashd Al-Sha'abi), launched a new assault in northern Mosul today, targeting the Islamic State-held town of Batnaya. Batnaya is a historically Assyrian town that was captured by the Islamic State in mid-2014. As a result of the Islamic State's occupation, most of Batnaya's residents were forced to flee to the Irbil Governorate in order to avoid persecution by the terrorist forces. Its liberation by the Iraqi Armed Forces will play a crucial role in their upcoming assault on Mosul, as this Assyrian town is situated just 22 km north of the provincial capital.