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Western Mosul Reconquest
 Italy sends 500 special troops to Iraq for Mosul Dam sentry Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Italy has sent 500 more special forces troopers to Mosul to protect an Italian-constructed dam retaken from Islamic State extremists in 2016. Russian newspaper Izvestia said the force from the elite 6th Bersaglieri regiment arrived in Iraq, becoming the first combat force Rome sends to participate in the war against Islamic State militants. The force will be responsible for preventing militants from retaking the dam, as well as to protect nearly 300 Italian experts working on its maintenance. IS had warned it would blow up the dam and submerge Iraqi territories. Experts, meanwhile had warned of a disastrous collapse of the dam due to its eroding foundations, but Iraqi officials have reiterated it remained safe as maintenance works proceed. Italian company Trevi had won a $2 billion (£1.3 billion) maintenance contract to repair the dam before works halted amid a deteriorating security situation. Italy already maintains nearly 750 soldiers in Iraq training local forces. It is a member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the group alongside the Iraqi government since 2014. Yazidi woman held by Islamic State freed, militants killed in western Mosul Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Federal Police have declared liberation of a 17-year old Yazidi woman who was held by Islamic State in western Mosul. “The troops freed the Yazidi woman Jihan Sido Kheder, 17, from the IS grip,” Lt.Gen.Shaker Jawdat said in a statement on Tuesday. “The liberation came within an operation in Hawi al-Kanisa region, in west of Mosul,” Jawdat added. “Terrorist leaders Abul Hassan al-Iraqi, in charge of military engineering, and Mohamed Mejbal abu Othman, military leader of western Mosul, were killed during the operation.” Last week, Federal Police’s Rapid Response forces announced freeing two Yazidi girls from IS control in 17 Tamuz (July 17th) district. 31 civilians reportedly killed by IS members, airstrikes in central Mosul Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Thirteen civilians were killed by Islamic State militants in central Mosul over attempting escape the so-called “caliphate”, according to local residents. Speaking to Shafaaq News on Tuesday, the residents said IS members shot thirteen civilians dead in al-Sarjkhana region, central Mosul, over attempting to flee their houses in IS-held regions and head toward Iraqi troops. The militants left the bodies on streets. Islamic State has executed hundreds of civilians and security members since it took over large areas in Iraq to proclaim a self-styled “Islamic Caliphate”. The executions of the victims were mainly blamed over accusations of collaboration with the Iraqi security authorities or for attempting to flee areas under its control. Meanwhile, other residents reported death of eighteen civilians and nine Islamic State members in an airstrike that targeted a house in Haderet al-Sada region, located in the Old City, central Mosul. The victims were killed while lining up to get meat distributed and sold by the militants to the residents, who were suffering shortage of food. New bridge reunites Mosul as Iraqi forces gear up for final assault (IraqiNews) Iraqi military engineers installed a new floating bridge across the Tigris river on Tuesday, reconnecting the two halves of Mosul to facilitate troop deployments ahead of a final assault to dislodge Islamic State. All five bridges connecting the two sides of the city bisected by the Tigris were struck by the U.S.-led coalition in order to hinder the militants’ movements in the early stages of the campaign to retake Mosul last year. “This floating bridge is very important for deploying reinforcements to the west side rapidly to build up adequate forces to sweep the Old City soon,” Colonel Haitham al-Taie told Reuters. Taie said the bridge in the Hawi al-Kaneesa area would also spare fleeing civilians from making a long journey to the nearest crossing point, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Mosul. Posted by: trailing wife 2017-05-24 |
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