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| Iraq | |
| Mosul Offensive News | |
| 2017-01-02 | |
| Iraqi forces capture 3 districts in Mosul Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army and police forces have recaptured a strategic street and liberated three more districts in the eastern section of the city of Mosul since late Saturday and through Sunday as operations resume to clear the city from Islamic State militants, an army officer said late Saturday. Federal police forces said Sunday they became in control over the strategic No.60 Street southeast of Mosul. “Army forces have managed to liberate the districts of al-Malayeen, al-Kindi and al-Arabi al-Thania after storming them on Friday,” Bas News quoted army major Ali Mohsen as saying. He added that the offensive on the three villages resulted in the killing of 40 IS militants, mostly foreigners. Iraqi government forces declared on Thursday they were starting a second phase of operations to retake Iraq’s second largest city from militants after a few weeks of recess for resupply and reinforcement. Liberating Mosul, IS last outstanding stronghold in Iraq, could deal a final fatal blow to group’s influence in the country. Forces have now become in control over more than 40 out of a total of nearly 60 districts of the city’s eastern section, and are hoping to push forward towards the west, where IS still maintain several locations near the borders with Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said yesterday the battle for Mosul was entering a “decisive” stage, and predicted in December that the operations could realize final victory within two months. ISIS corpses found in trash in Mosul Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Left over after ferocious battles with security forces, Islamic State fighters’ dead bodies are dumped with garbage cleared from areas recaptured by government troops, a local official at Nineveh was quoted as saying. Abdel-Sattar al-Habbou, a member of the Nineveh Province’s board, told AlMaalomah news website that “the majority of the dead bodies of Daesh (IS) fighters go with trash when concerned authorities carry out purging and cleaning works after liberation (of IS-held areas).” He said deaths among the extremist group have jumped to more than 160 a day over the past few days as security forces besiege occupied areas and maintain a blockade over supplies to the group from western Mosul. While rights and aid groups have regularly decried human rights abuses by Islamic State militants against Iraqi civilians since the group emerged in 2014, Iraqi government forces and allied militias have also, in some occasions, got a share of criticism. “ Militiamen, Iraqi Security Forces, and civilians mutilated and dragged the bodies of at least five dead fighters of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) in the Iraqi town of Qayyarah on October 3, 2016,” Human Rights Watch said in a report mid November. “The Iraqi government should control its own forces and hold them accountable if it hopes to claim the moral upper hand in its fight against ISIS,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The failure to hold commanders and abusers to account does not bode well for the looming battle inside Mosul. Mutilation of corpses is a war crime, as is killing captured combatants or civilians.” 19 Bad Guys die in Iraqi operations in Mosul Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi forces recaptured more districts from Islamic State militants on Sunday as a second phase of operations that launched last October grind on to clear eastern Mosul from militants. Lt. Col. Eyad al-Awsyi told Anadolu Agency that the army’s 9th division and Federal Police teams regained full control over al-Intissar district, also becoming closer to retaking al-Karama, another neighborhood. He said 19 IS militants were killed and a trapped car was exploded during the operations. The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell also reported that the forces recaptured the districts of Yunus al-Sabaawi and Yafa in southeast of the city. Operations on Sunday and Saturday were carried out under an aerial cover from Iraqi and US-led coalition fighter jets. Iraqi government forces declared on Thursday they were starting a second phase of operations to retake Iraq’s second largest city from militants after a few weeks of recess for resupply and reinforcement. Liberating Mosul, IS last outstanding stronghold in Iraq, could deal a final fatal blow to group’s influence in the country. Forces have now become in control over more than 40 out of a total of nearly 60 districts of the city’s eastern section, and are hoping to push forward towards the west, where IS still maintain several locations near the borders with Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Saturday the battle for Mosul was entering a “decisive” stage, and predicted in December that the operations could realize final victory within two months. Iraqi forces capture al-Karama district Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) We Are Coming Nineveh Operations Command announced on Sunday liberating the neighborhood of southern al-Karama completely, in the city of Mosul. Commander of operations, Major General Abdel Amir Yarallah, in a press statement, said, “Troops of the Counter-Terrorism Service managed, today, to liberate southern al-Karama neighborhood completely, as well as raising the Iraqi flag over its buildings.” “The security troops inflicted heavy human and material losses on the enemy,” Yarallah added. Nineveh Province is witnessing wide-scale military operations to retake the city of Mosul, which was captured by the Islamic State in June 10, 2014. Iraqi kops capture road in Mosul Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Federal Police Command announced on Sunday liberating Gogjali-Intsar road, east of Mosul. Federal Police Chief, Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat, said in a press statement, “Troops of the Federal Police liberated the road of Gogjali-Intsar and raised Iraqi flag on it,” adding that, “Security forces also killed the terrorist known as Ahmed Manati.” Joint security forces, backed by Army Aviation and international coalition, continue the battle to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic state, after General Commander of Armed Forces Haider al-Abadi launched the operations in October 17. 2 die in bombing attack near al-Karama Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Nineveh Province revealed, that two civilians were killed and ten others were wounded in a suicide attack against displaced people coming from al-Karama neighborhood, east of Mosul, Alsumaria News reported on Sunday. The source said, “A suicide bomber, wearing an explosive vest, detonated himself this evening on displaced families coming from al-Karama neighborhood, east of Mosul, killing two civilians and wounding ten others, mostly women and children.” “Security forces evacuated the wounded to nearby hospitals,” the source added on condition of anonymity. Joint security forces, backed by Army Aviation and international coalition, continue the battle to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic state, after General Commander of Armed Forces Haider al-Abadi launched the operations in October 17. Iraqi forces attack ISIS supply line in Mosul [ARA News] Duhok – Iraqi Army forces on Sunday bombed ISIS strongholds in northern Mosul in a bid to cut off the Tel Kef supply line, military sources reported. The Iraqi troops hit three ISIS checkpoints along the Tel Kef road in northern Mosul city, using heavy artillery. The shelling led to the destruction of the ISIS security checkpoints and the death of several ISIS militants. The Tel Kef road is considered one of the main supply lines for the Islamic State’s (ISIS) militants to support their operations against the Iraqi forces in northern Mosul. In the meantime, the US-led coalition’s air forces launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Mosul, targeting ISIS tactical units and fighting positions. “At least 70 ISIS terrorists have been killed under renewed coalition air raids since Friday,” Iraqi Army General Najm al-Jabouri said. Al-Jabouri also reported that their forces captured the Intisar District, while fierce clashes continued in the vicinity of Palastine District in southeastern Mosul. This comes as US-backed Iraqi forces started the second phase of the battle for Mosul against Islamic State’s militants. On October 17th, 2016, the Iraqi Army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a major battle for Mosul to liberate the city and its surroundings from ISIS. ISIS found violating LOAC in Mosul [ARA News] Erbil – The US-led coalition said in a statement on Sunday that ISIS is increasingly using civilian buildings as weapon storage facilities “which is forbidden according to international law”. Islamic State’s (ISIS) militants have been implementing such tactics due to increased pressure by Iraqi security forces that recently launched the second phase of the Mosul operation. On Sunday, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command announced the liberation of the al-Karama district in eastern Mosul. At request of the Iraqi Army, the US-led coalition artillery struck an ISIS mortar tube in support of the operation. “A precision guided artillery round hit the mortar tube in between two empty school buildings. No civilians were in the area and minimal damage was reported to the buildings,” the coalition said. “ISIS is known to use facilities such as mosques, hospitals, and schools, which are protected under the rules of international law as weapons storage facilities, fighting positions, and bases for its terrorist operations. We have seen this tactic used in ever greater numbers as the Iraqi Security Forces successfully push further into Mosul,” it added. “While the Coalition takes extraordinary effort to protect civilians and strike appropriate military targets, we will continue to strike ISIS wherever and whenever our partner’s lives are in danger in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict.” Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch in November called on ISIS to stop using civilians as human shields. “Using civilians as human shields is a war crime. Forces fighting ISIS should take all feasible precautions to protect civilians during attacks,” HRW said. “The use of human shields by ISIS is just their latest cruelty against beleaguered civilians,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “But the horrors inflicted by ISIS do not give anti-ISIS forces a pass to attack ISIS forces without regard to the safety of the civilians in their midst.” Since the start of the Mosul operation on Oct. 17, the US-led coalition has struck ISIS with more than 7,650 munitions in support of the Iraqi Security Forces. Last Thursday, the Iraqi forces announced that several elements of the Iraqi Army, Federal Police and Counter Terrorism Service initiated a simultaneous advance along three axes in Mosul to defeat ISIS. Iraqi forces own 60 percent of Mosul [al-Manar] Iraqi forces have retaken around two thirds of the eastern half of Mosul from the ISIL terrorist group since the start of an offensive in mid-October, a top commander said Sunday. “From east Mosul… more than 60 percent” has been retaken from ISIL, Staff Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, a top commander in Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP. He was speaking from his headquarters northeast of Mosul, where ISIL proclaimed a “caliphate” in June 2014 after occupying the city. Iraq’s elite CTS forces are the best-equipped, best-trained and most seasoned forces in the country but the going has been tough since Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the beginning of an operation to retake Mosul on October 17 last year. CTS and other forces more recently deployed inside the city have been moving house-to-house, dodging sniper fire, suicide car bombs and booby traps to retake one neighborhood after another. Iraqi drone wipes out 20 ISIS Turbans [al-Manar] 20 ISIL terrorists were killed on Sunday on the right coast of the city of Mosul by an unmanned Iraqi warplane (CH4) used by Iraqi forces for the first time, a security source in Nineveh province reported. The source said that this type of aircraft is bombing ISIL gatherings on the right coast of the city for the first time, adding that “the operation was proactive, accurate and was based on reliable intelligence which led to target their gathering which is important to the terrorist organization.” Iraqi army and police forces have recaptured a strategic street and liberated three more districts in the eastern section of the city of Mosul since late Saturday and through Sunday as operations resume to clear the city from ISIL militants, an army officer said late Saturday. Federal police forces said Sunday they became in control over the strategic No.60 Street southeast of Mosul. “Army forces have managed to liberate the districts of al-Malayeen, al-Kindi and al-Arabi al-Thania after storming them on Friday,” Bas News quoted army major Ali Mohsen as saying. He added that the offensive on the three villages resulted in the killing of 40 IS militants, mostly foreigners. AFP reported Sunday that Iraqi helicopter wheels overhead, firing a barrage of bullets towards terrorists below, adding that Mosul crackled with gunfire and explosions as the Rapid Response forces fight their way north alongside contingents from other units. It added that the advance was quick but careful, with an Iraqi army Humvee mounted with an anti-tank missile launcher on hand to target car bombs and a bulldozer that erects dirt barricades to block their approach. Humvees provide cover for those on foot, who move alongside, weapons at the ready. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said yesterday the battle for Mosul was entering a “decisive” stage, and predicted in December that the operations could realize final victory within two months. US-led coalition hit Islamic State group mortar position in Mosul: Pentagon [AlAhram] An artillery strike by the U.S.-led coalition in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul struck a mortar position next to two empty school buildings that Islamic State group had been using to target Iraqi security forces, the U.S. military said on Sunday. No civilians were in the area and minimal damage was reported to the buildings, the Combined Joint Strike Force said in a statement. Schools, like hospitals and mosques, are protected under international law.
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| Posted by:badanov |