Iraqi joint forces resume advance in Mousl and liberate more districts

Iraqi joint forces resumed their advance in the districts of Mousl’s right bank in the framework of the current military operation to liberate the Iraqi second largest city, as they managed to liberate Mamel district from the grip of ISIS extremist group. Meanwhile, Nineveh Liberation Operation revealed the results of their military operations they launched since February.

Iraqi army forces had killed more than 1300 Islamic State militants since operations launched on February 19th to retake the western flank of Mosul, military media said. The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell, quoting the command of the Nineveh Operations, said the army’s 9th division had killed 1336 Islamic State members, including senior leaders, since the start of offensives in February.

The statement said a total of 55 districts, villages and vital facilities had been recaptured, covering a total area of 406 square kilometers. A total of refugees evacuated from the division’s scope of operations stood at 111750, according to the media outlet.

Besides human losses on militants behalf, 139 booby-trapped vehicles were detonated, 11 drones shot down, 61 rest houses, ten booby-trapping workshops and five command centers were demolished. Earlier this week, the Interior Ministry said its forces had killed more than 850 Islamic State members since the start of the western Mosul offensive.

Iraqi government forces recaptured eastern Mosul in January, and commanders currently claim control over 70 percent of the western side. Forces are currently moving on a new front of operations, targeting the IS-held, strategic Old City area from the northwest. Retaking that area will represent a major symbolic victory, being the place from where IS declared its rule over Iraq and Syria in 2014.

Iraqi government forces killed a senior Islamic State commander and recaptured another area in western Mosul as they continue incursions in districts overlooking the IS-held Old City from the northwest.

The Nineveh operations command said the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service forces took over al-Maamel area on Wednesday, and raised Iraqi flags at the area. It also said forces killed Abu Ayoub al-Shami, Islamic State’s military commander for the Islah al-Zeraie district, along with three of his aides.

The developments come as Iraqi forces opened last week a new front targeting the strategic, IS-held Old City from the northwestern direction, having struggled for weeks to invade the densely populated and narrowly structured area from its southern entrances. Iraqi commanders have reported dozens of deaths among Islamic State militants and the recapture of large parts of districts on the targets list.

On Monday, a spokesperson of the Interior Ministry said ministry forces had killed 3320 IS members since the offensive to retake western Mosul was launched in February. Iraqi forces recaptured eastern Mosul in January after three months of fighting.

Iraqi commanders say they currently control at least 70 percent of territory in the western side of Mosul. Some were quoted expecting the city to be fully under security forces’ control before the end of May. Retaking Mosul will be the strongest blow to the Islamic State’s proclaimed “caliphate” which its supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared from the Old City’s Grand Mosque in 2014.