Battle for Dhuluiya! Iraqi army and Shia militia kill 300 militants and drive the Islamic State from city

Another blow has been struck against the Islamic State. This time the defeat comes in Iraq, and Iraqi security forces are the heroes of the day after they retook a city that the Islamic State had occupied for sixth months.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Just 45 miles north of Baghdad, the northern Iraqi town of Dhuluiya was captured sometime over December 30 and 31. Officials with the Iraqi military say that about 300 Islamic State fighters were killed, a crushing blow to a militant group that is overstretched and can't absorb much losses.

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The attack, in conjunction with Shia militia, began on December 28. Strikes by Iraqi fighter jets and helicopters helped keep the offensive moving.

By the next day, most of the town had been captured, though the Islamic State still controlled several small zones in the city's northwest.

The Islamic State had occupied Dhuluiya since June, during its massive sweep through Iraq that led to them capturing much of the north and west. Members of the Sunni al-Jubouri tribe, who lived in the southern part of the city, refused to swear allegiance to the group.

From their base in Dhuluiya, the Islamic State attacked these tribesmen as well as a nearby Shi'ite town, Balad.

This is the first step in a campaign to remove the Islamic State from northern Iraq, a campaign that could be very bloody, as north of the Iraqi capital the Islamic State has many strongholds.

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