[FRANCE24] The United States said Thursday that up to 900 Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
group jihadists have been killed in the offensive to retake Iraq's djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
, as camps around the city filled with fleeing civilians.
Iraqis who fled their homes expressed joy at escaping the IS group's brutal rule as they were given shelter and assistance, in some cases reuniting with relatives they had not seen in more than two years.
The offensive, launched on October 17, is seeing tens of thousands of Iraqi fighters advancing on Mosul from the south, east and north in a bid to retake the last major Iraqi city under IS group control.
Backed with air and ground support from a US-led coalition, federal forces allied with Kurdish peshmerga fighters have taken a string of towns and villages in a cautious but steady advance.
General Joseph Votel, who heads the US military's Central Command, told AFP on Thursday that the offensive was inflicting a heavy toll on the jihadists.
"Just in the operations over the last week and a half associated with Mosul, we estimate they've probably killed about 800-900 Islamic State fighters," Votel said in an interview.
There are between 3,500 and 5,000 IS jihadists in Mosul and up to another 2,000 in the broader area, according to US estimates.
The offensive has so far been concentrated in towns and villages around Mosul, with Iraqi forces later expected to breach city limits and engage the jihadists in street-to-street fighting.
Turkish and Saudi weapons found in Mosul
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh -The leader of al-Hashed al-Shaabi militia, Uday al-Khaddran, announced, that the security forces found Turkish and Saudi weapons in the axes of Mosul, and pointed out that vehicles and weapons entered the ISIS-held areas in Mosul on daily basis across the Turkish border by Gulf senior traders.
Khaddran said in a press statement, “Turkey is supplying the ISIS with weapons and military equipment, in addition to Turkish military advisers and experts to train the group’s terrorists, and artillery to support the terrorists’ movement.”
“Traders from Kuwait and UAE are facilitating the entry of thousands of Toyota vehicles to be used by the ISIS militants in their operations,” Khaddran added.
Khaddran also revealed that Turkish and Saudi intelligence transferred ISIS senior leaders and warlords from Mosul to Syria and Libya, in preparation for a new phase that will start from Egypt and Algeria.
Iraqi security forces also found Saudi weapons and vehicles during the battles to liberate Anbar and Salahuddin in the past two years.
Iraqi kops liberate 2 villages north of Shura
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Federal Police Command announced on Thursday, that its forces liberated two villages north of Shura area, and south of Mosul, from the ISIS control.
Federal Police Chief, Raed Shaker Jawdat, said in a press statement, “This morning, Federal Police troops managed to liberate the villages of Wadi Qassab and Hamza, north of Shura area from the ISIS grip.”
“The Federal Police forces continue advancing toward al-Shura area in order to fully liberate it,” Jawdat added.
Earlier this month, General Commander of Iraqi Armed forces and Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, announced launching the battle to liberate Mosul from the ISIS grip, and pointed out that only Iraqi forces will participate in the battle.
Results of Mosul offensive after 11 days of battle
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – The Iraqi army, backed by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the international coalition air force continued its victories in the battle to liberate the city of Mosul from the Islamic State’s (ISIS) occupation. The offensive that was launched on the 17th of October has so far inflicted heavy losses on ISIS, Youm7 reported on Thursday.
An infographic published earlier by Iraqi News revealed that around 5,000 fighters belonging to ISIS occupy the city of Mosul, and 65,000 Iraqi soldiers divided into 6 divisions are expected to participate in the liberation battle, in addition to around 10,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and 24,000 members of Nineveh Police and al-Hashd al-Shaabi militia.
Few hours after the start of Mosul offensive, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi fled from Mosul to the Syrian territories, along with hundreds of the group’s members and their families, after surviving a coup attempt by the so-called Islamic Police in Mosul and summoning “al-Assra Army” to suppress the coup.
More than 800 members of the ISIS were killed during the direct confrontations against the Iraqi army, in addition to 58 militants who were executed for collaborating with security forces.
Meanwhile, Iraqi joint security forces managed in the last 11 days to liberate nearly 80 villages in the city of Mosul, as well as destroying 127 booby-trapped vehicles and dismantling 397 improvised explosive devices.
The security forces also destructed more than 40 ISIS defense positions, 3 tunnels and a headquarters, in addition to confiscating 36 mortar cannons and 16 armed vehicles.