Iraqi forces recapture district, storm another en route to central Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi forces recaptured a district in western Mosul on Monday from Islamic State militants and stormed another one on their way towards central Mosul’s Old City, the security command said in a statement.

The army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Forces recaptured al-Sumoud district before storming the nearby al-Mansour, Lt.Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah, commander of the Nineveh operations, said in a statement.

Old Mosul is a major target for U.S.-backed Iraqi forces seeking to clear the western side of the city from militants. It is home of a government compound, the recapture of which is believed to be highly decisive in ending the campaign in the government forces’ favor.

Shortly earlier, news reports quoted security officials saying the forces took over a major bridge leading to the Old City.

Mosul fell to IS militants in 2014, and had been proclaimed as the capital of the group’s “Islamic Caliphate” before Iraqi forces retook the eastern part late January.

Iraqi and coalition generals had predicted the city to be retaken within six months from the start of the operations in the west.

Battles in western Mosul have so far displaced at least 57000 people, according to the Iraqi government, and at least 47.000 according to the United Nations.