3 Iranian militiamen die in western Mosul
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Four paramilitary troopers fighting Islamic State alongside Iraqi troops were reportedly killed Monday in clashes with the group west of Mosul.
Kurdish-owned BasNews said four members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) were killed during clashes at Mahalabiya, a region which Iraqi forces and PMUs had previously isolated from Mosul.
PMUs have been fighting Islamic State west of Mosul and at other provinces witnessing an IS presence since they were formed upon an edict by Iraq’s top Shia clergy in 2014. The alliance of at least 60, mainly Shia, troops, won government recognition as a national force in November and enjoys ardent backing by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
The militia had made remarkable victories since the campaign to retake Mosul launched in October, retaking several villages and severing IS supply routes from Syria to Mosul.
Iraqi forces recaptured eastern Mosul in January, and have been struggling to retake the western side of the city since mid February. Generals say they control at least 50 percent of land at that region, and, while admitting to the difficulty of battles, reiterated that IS had lost most members of its upper ranks.
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40 ISIS militants die in fighting in western Mosul
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Security troops were able to liberate strategic areas in western Mosul, a source from Federal Police said on Monday.
“Security forces launched fierce battles against the Islamic State fighters in western Mosul,” Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat, Commander of Federal Police service, told Bas News. “The clashes left 40 fighters, including snipers and suicide bombers, killed so far.”
Security services were able to free several regions including al-Nahrawan and western Yarmouk following fierce clashes with the IS militants, he added. “Battles are still ongoing at al-Matahen and al-Aghawat.”
Eastern Mosul was recaptured from IS in January, after a US-backed offensive was launched in October. A new offensive started in February to retake the west. The government troops have recently pushed deeper into the Old City, a densely-populated and -structured area which military officials view as central to the desired victory over IS militants
Battles in the west are believed to be much more difficult due to the density of residential areas and the high number of civilians.
Retaking Mosul could ruin the Islamic State’s self-styled “Islamic Caliphate” declared in 2014 when the group occupied several parts of the country.