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Christians 'Thank Christ' as Iraqi Troops Prepare to Liberate Their Town

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One of the largest Christian towns in all of Iraq is about to be liberated from ISIS. On Tuesday evening, Iraqi forces moved deeper into Qaraqosh, a city some 10 miles south of Mosul.

"We have been through a lot of suffering and today we are looking forward to returning to our region as soon as possible," Hazem Djedjou Cardomi told AFP.

When Qaraqosh fell into the hands of ISIS in August 2014, many of its Christian residents sought refuge in the Kurdistan region. This week, hundreds of those refugees were seen dancing and singing in the capital city of Erbil preparing to celebrate the impending operation.

"There is no doubt our land will be liberated and we thank God, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary," Cardomi said.

Not all of Iraq's Christians are celebrating, though. Many believe they can never go home, even after their towns are liberated from the Islamic State.

Meanwhile, Iraqi special forces are continuing to deploy around Mosul as part of a push to retake the city from the Islamic State group. The operation to retake Mosul is the largest launched by the Iraqi army since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

"We are on our way to liberate Mosul," Capt. Raad, an Iraqi Special Forces commander, said. "God willing, we will soon announce the liberation of Mosul from the Daesh terrorists."

Some 25,000 troops, including Sunni fighters and Kurdish forces, are approaching the city from different directions. A senior Iraqi military commander called on ISIS fighters to lay down their weapons.

"I appeal to all local fighters with the Islamic State group to lay down their weapons in order not risk their lives so they can return to their families and their city, God willing," Talib Shaghati, an Iraqi Commander of the Joint Operations Command, said.

ISIS has suffered a string of huge loses over the past year, and Mosul is its last major stronghold in Iraq.

"Intelligence information indicates there are 5,000 to 6,000 Daesh fighters in Mosul," Shaghati said.

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