|
Mosul Offensive News
 Iraqi Spec Ops release 380 ISIS captives in Mosul Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi special forces said Tuesday they had managed to evacuate 380 civilians from a neighborhood in western Mosul as operations against Islamic State militants approach their final stage. A security source was quoted by Shafaaq News website saying that the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service evacuated the civilians from Zanjili, one of a last three districts adjacent to IS’s last bastion in western Mosul: the Old City. Those included women, children and elders, said the source, adding that the evacuation happened after five hours of fighting. Islamic State militants have faced accusations by Iraqi and United Nations officials, as well as local and world aid groups, of using civilians as human shields during the battle running in Mosul since October. U.N. estimates put the number of civilians stranded at the battlefield in the Old City at 200.000, saying they suffer severe shortages in food and medicine. According to news reports, IS had executed dozens of civilians in western Mosul for attempting to escape to security-held areas or acting as informants for the government troops. Iraqi forces capture ISIS commando school in western Mosul Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Federal Police forces made more gains against Islamic State militants in western Mosul on Tuesday, taking over a commando training facility run by the extremist group. The force’s chief. Lt. Gen. Shaker Jawdat, said in statements that his troops took over the so-called “commandos school” in Zanjili, adding that they also continued to open safe exits for thousands of civilians stranded in the battlefield. Police forces have been bombarding Zanjili with heavy artillery and Grad rockets to facilitate advances by ground troops, said Jawdat. Earlier on Tuesday, a security source was quoted by Shafaaq News website saying that the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service evacuated the civilians from Zanjili, one of a last three districts adjacent to IS’s last bastion in western Mosul: the Old City. Iraqi warbirds, Iranian militias kill 38 ISIS Bad Guys Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army warplanes and paramilitary forces killed 38 Islamic State militants during operations at areas west of Mosul and near the Syrian borders on Tuesday. The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said warplanes killed 25 IS members at gatherings in Tel Fares, Baaj and Badush region west Mosul. Three vehicles carrying guns were destroyed in the strike, according to the media outlet. Popular Mobilization Units also said they killed 13 suicide bombers from IS at Mahalabiya, Tel Zalat and Adaya, west of Mosul Coincidentally with government troops operations in Mosul, army warplanes have been backing PMU operations against IS holdouts near the Syrian borders, most notably at the Qairawan and Baaj regions. Earlier on Tuesday, PMU media said its forces had begun to dig trenches along the Syrian borders one day after they had reached them through recapturing several villages on the way. Iraqi forces have been approaching IS’s last entrenchment in western Mosul in the Old City since late April. Operations to recapture western Mosul launched on February 19th. Eastern Mosul was liberated in January. Iraqi generals had predicted the city to be recaptured before the start of the holy month of Ramadan, which began Saturday, but more recently put the expected date back to June 10th, the anniversary of the city’s fall in IS control in 2014. Posted by: badanov 2017-05-31 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=489251 |