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Mosul Offensive News
 Iraqi forces capture al-Ghofran district in Mosul Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army forces recaptured on Saturday one more district in eastern Mosul as a second phase of security operations continue to clear the region from Islamic State militants. Abdul-Amir Yarallah, the top commander of the joint forces operations in Nineveh, said in a statement that elite Counter-Terrorism Service forces have retaken al-Ghofran district, southeast of the city, raising Iraqi flags above its buildings. Marking the 96th anniversary of the establishment of the Iraqi army, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said forces had, so far, recaptured two thirds of Nineveh, the province embedding Mosul. Military officials were quoted recently as saying that government troops became in control of 70 percent of the city’s eastern section. Advances made on Friday put the forces one more step closer to the Tigris River, which bisects the city. Iraq’s defense ministry media has put the number of Islamic State fighters killed this week at 1757 since a second phase of operations kicked off after weeks of recess. IS remains in control over most of the western side of the city, which is close to its strongholds in Syria. The conflict in Mosul has forced at least 160.000 to flee homes to refugee camps since October, when operations launched to liberate the city. Iraqi forces capture ISIS security complex in al-Salam Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi security forces seized on Saturday an Islamic State command center and two prisons run by the extremist group in eastern Mosul, a senior military official said. Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah, who commands joint forces operations seeking to retake Nineveh from militants, said in a statement that Federal Police’s “rapid response” forces also became in control of al-Salam, al-Shefa and the Faculty of Medicine in the eastern section of Mosul. Iraqi government forces, backed by a US-led military coalition, began on December 29th a second phase of an operation that launched in October 2016 to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and IS largest stronghold in the country. Marking the 96th anniversary of the establishment of the Iraqi army on Thursday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said forces had, so far, recaptured two thirds of Nineveh, the province embedding Mosul. Military officials were quoted recently as saying that government troops became in control of 70 percent of the Mosul’s eastern section. Advances made on Friday put the forces one more step closer to the Tigris River, which bisects the city. IS remains in control over most of the western side of the city, which is close to its strongholds in Syria. Iraq’s defence ministry media has put the number of Islamic State fighters killed this week at 1757 since a second phase of operations kicked off after weeks of recess. The conflict in Mosul has forced at least 160.000 to flee homes to refugee camps since October, when operations launched to liberate the city. Iraqi spec ops forces capture al-Ataba district Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Forces from Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) liberated the first and second neighborhoods of al-Ataba, east of Mosul. Commander of We Are Coming, Nineveh Operations, Major General Abdel Amir Yarallah, said in a press statement, “Forces from Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service managed, at noon today, to liberate the first and second neighborhoods of al-Ataba, east of Mosul, and raised Iraqi flag over their buildings.” “The Counter-Terrorism forces also recaptures the road leading to the 4th bridge in Mosul,” Yarallah added. Joint security forces, backed by Army Aviation and international coalition air force, continue the battle to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State’s control. Iraqi forces close in on ISIS forces near Tigris River (Reuters) Iraqi special forces closed in on the Tigris river that runs through central Mosul on Saturday, advancing in parallel with other troops and forcing Islamic State to retreat in its last major stronghold in the country. Turkey and Iraq meanwhile came to an agreement over a demand for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from an area close to Mosul, Baghdad said, as the two regional powers sought to improve ties after a spat last year over Ankara’s military deployment. Turkey’s prime minister did not say a deal had been reached, but that the issue was discussed and would be resolved. Advances by Iraqi forces in recent days, including Saturday’s push to within several hundred meters (yards) of the Tigris, involved an unprecedented nighttime assault by elite forces and have driven the ultra-hardline militant group out of several areas east of the river. The U.S.-backed operation to drive Islamic State out of Mosul, which began in October, initially progressed well before slowing towards the end of the year amid fierce IS resistance and the presence of large numbers of civilians. It has picked up momentum again in a new phase launched last week. Counter-terrorism service (CTS) forces were the closest they had been to the Tigris inside Mosul and closing in on a strategic bridge, supported by new tactics and better coordination, their spokesman said. “Counter-terrorism forces have been sent about 500m from the fourth bridge,” Sabah al-Numan told reporters east of Mosul. CTS seized the Ghufran district, previously known as al-Baath, and entered neighboring Wahda, he said. A separate military statement said Iraqi federal police had recaptured a hospital complex in Wahda in southeastern Mosul, a significant turnaround after army units were forced to withdraw from the site last month. CTS and federal police “are now moving in parallel on both axes” in southeastern Mosul, Numan said. “We are proceeding side by side … and advancing at the same level. This is a very important factor, thanks to which Daesh (Islamic State) has not been able to move its fighters. It has to support one axis (front) at the expense of another. “We have worn down the terrorist organization with this type of advance.” Posted by: badanov 2017-01-08 |
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