2000 ISIS fighters killed since start of Mosul offensive
Bodies of Islamic State members. File photo.
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Two thousand militants from the Islamic State extremist group have been killed since Iraqi forces and US-led coalition aircraft launched a major operation to liberate the city of Mosul, Nineveh, from the group, according to Nineveh Operations Commander Najim Abdullah al-Jabouri.
Jabouri said on a press statement on Sunday that more than 2000 ISIS fighters have been killed in Mosul. Those include “senior and elite leaderships in the group. He added that only 6 kilometers separate us from battles at the eastern coast of Mosul.
Jabouri lauded an air cover provided by Iraqi and US-led coalition air forces for destroying ISIS infrastructure and the majority of the group’s ammunition caches, and said, “Apache fighter jets have engaged in battles at the western coast o Nineveh and a number of fighting axes, thanks to their defensive and offensive capabilities and accuracy in detecting targets, especially in guerrilla battles.”
Jabouri said that ISIS fighters, on the other hand, rely merely on suicide attacks, IED planting and hit and runs to hiding among civilian houses. “Our sources confirm a collective escape by group elements,” he said.