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Iraqi officer: troops repel attack by disguised IS militants in western Mosul

 Iraqi officer: troops repel attack by disguised IS militants in western Mosul

An Iraqi security soldier in Mosul.

An Iraqi security soldier in Mosul.
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi government forces repelled on Wednesday an attack by Islamic State militants on a district in western Mosul that was retaken from the extremist group a few days ago.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Maj. Abbas al-Bayyati, from the Interior Ministry’s Rapid Response forces, said fierce fighting flared early Wednesday between the troops and IS attackers in Josaq district, southwest of Mosul.

He said the security forces pushed back the attackers at the end of the four-hour encounter, killing most of the attackers and seizing their equipment. He also pointed that deaths and injuries occurred among the Iraqi troops, but declined to give exact numbers for not having the authority to do that.

Bayyati revealed that the militants had their beards shaved and were dressed in Iraqi army outfits, making it harder for Iraqi and international coalition fighter jets to mark their targets.

Defense Ministry engineering teams had found nine explosive belts and an IED workshop at an abandoned house in Josaq, according to Bayyati.

Federal Police command said recently that more than 900 IS fighters died in encounters with security forces since a new offensive launched mid February to clear western Mosul from militants.

Military commanders from the Iraqi forces and the allied U.S.-led international military coalition have said IS resistance was remarkable weaker in the west compared to the eastern side, which security troops retook late January. Government forces became closer Tuesday to a government complex in central Mosul, having retaken the city’s airport, a major military base and a vital bridge linking both sides of the city.

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