In Iraq, army forces have taken control of the strategic northern town of Shirqat from IS, in a military operation launched ahead of a push to recapture the armed group's stronghold of Mosul. Security forces began the operation to oust ISIL on Tuesday, backed by both Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft. <br/><br/>The country's Joint Operations Command said in a statement on yesterday that Iraqi forces completely liberated the Shirqat district and raised the Iraqi flag over the government headquarters in the town. The town lies on the west bank of the Tigris river in Salaheddin province, 260 km northwest of Baghdad and around 80km south of Mosul. <br/><br/>IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and training have since retaken significant ground, including the cities of Tikrit, Ramadi and Fallujah. The recapturing of Shirqat came a day after a top US military officer said that the final push for Mosul could begin next month.