By Ibrahim Saleh and Mohammed Walid

NINEVEH, Iraq

The Iraqi army on Monday established full control over the Nineveh Plain area near the Daesh-held city of Mosul, according to an Iraqi army commander.

General Abdul-Amir Yarallah said in a statement broadcast on Iraqi state television that "all areas" of the strategic plain were now under the army’s firm control.

"Security forces will continue the operation until all areas of Nineveh province [of which Mosul is the regional capital] are cleared of Daesh elements," he said.

Iraq’s Nineveh Plain, located to the west and north of Mosul, includes the districts of Al-Hamdania, Tal Kaif and Al-Sheikhan.

The three districts are home to several different religious and ethnic groups, including Christians, Ezidis, Shabaks, Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds.

Last month, the Iraqi army -- backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and local allies on the ground -- launched a wide-ranging offensive to retake Mosul, which was overrun by Daesh in mid-2014.