IS attack kills 16 civilians in western Mosul
The aftermath of a Car bomb blast.
“An IS suicide bomber, driving a booby-trapped vehicle, attacked the military units of Counter-Terrorism Service in al-Thawra district,” Captain Khedr al-Assadi, of the CTS, told Anadolu Agency.
“Failed to reach his target and besieged, he blew up the car in one of the alleyways,” Assadi added.
“Seven men, five women and four children were killed due to the blast, two houses were destroyed in addition to four cars that were stationed near the explosion,” he added.
“The troops fully controlled the district but had not combed it yet, which delayed the raising of Iraqi flags on its buildings,” according to Assadi.
Lieutenant-General Talib Shaghati, CTS chief, was quoted earlier as saying that “the military troops keep going steadily to liberate the remaining small area of western Mosul in order to declare the city as fully-liberated one. 32 out of a total of 38 districts were combed, in addition to the strategic airport of Mosul and Ghozlani military camp.”
CTS previously announced the troops advance in districts of al-Thawra and al-Tanak.
The densely-populated city of Mosul is the second biggest Iraqi cities. IS gained controlled on it in the summer of 2014. However, Iraqi troops were able to retake the eastern side in January. A new offensive was launched in February to recapture the western part.