Iraqi forces partially retake al-Aalam district at eastern Mosul
Iraqi army forces. File photo.
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Forces from the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service partially recaptured on Tuesday another district in the eastern section of Mosul from Islamic State militants, security sources said.
The forces managed Tuesday morning to storm al-Aalam district in eastern Mosul, the sources said as battles continue to liberate Iraq’s second largest city from the extremist group.
Iraqi government forces, backed by popular militias and a US-led air cover, have been liberating villages in Mosul on an almost daily basis as part of a major operation to free the city that launched in mid October.
Military and police commanders said recently that government forces became in control of nearly 50 percent of the eastern section of Mosul. ISIS remains in control of most of the western region adjacent to the group’s strongholds in Syria, but Iraqi security commanders and militia leaders reportedly managed to cut ISIS’s supply and escape routes to and from Syria.
On Monday, Iraqi forces bombarded regions on the western side, denoting the opening of a new battle front.