Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Baghdad

IS rattled as Iraqi flags mysteriously raised at western Mosul, close old city

 IS rattled as Iraqi flags mysteriously raised at western Mosul, close old city

Islamic State flag in Mosul.

Islamic State flag in Mosul.
Nineveh (Islamic State) Islamic State militants besieged three buildings in eastern Mosul after unknown individuals raised the Iraqi flag above them, and closed streets of the old city as security forces began invading the region.

A local source told Alsumaria News that Islamic State militants encircled three buildings in western Mosul after they were surprised with three Iraqi flags hanging above. “It is not yet known who did it, but all indications suggest they were indignant young men opposed to Daesh (Islamic State),” according to the source.

Another source said the extremist group tightly blocked the alleyways of the Old City, deploying heavily-armed vehicles across the area and turning it into a military bunker.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a brief announcement on Sunday that security forces launched an operation to retake the western side of Mosul, Islamic State militants’ largest stronghold in Iraq which the group took over in 2014. He said on January 24th that government forces, backed by popular militias and U.S.-led coalition troops, had cleared the whole of the eastern region from militants after more than three months of fighting.

Recapturing Mosul would represent the strongest blow to Islamic State’s proclaimed “Islamic Caliphate”. Iraqi and international coalition generals had predicted the western part of the city to be fully recaptured within six months, while the United Nations predicted 250.000 civilians to be displaced by the fighting.

Military media said earlier on Sunday that army and Federal Police forces recaptured six villages and a major power station near the western shore of the Tigris River.

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