Iraqi troops invade western Mosul district, kill militants in airstrike
Iraqi Counter Terrorism Services (CTS) soldier is seen during a battle between CTS and Daesh militants in western Mosul, Iraq, April 25, 2017. ( Reuters)
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army has invaded another district as troops resume their advance in the western side of Mosul, a source said.
Speaking to Shafaaq News, the source said that the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service raided al-Najjar district, recapturing half of it.
Hundreds of Islamic State families publicly fled al-Najjar and the remaining IS-held districts in western Mosul, along with civilians heading toward the liberated regions.
In related news, the War Media Cell reported that Iraqi fighter jets F16 have destroyed a booby-trapping workshop, killing several IS militants in an airstrike launched in western Mosul.
In a statement on Thursday, the WMC said “the airstrike destroyed all weapons and explosive substances that were inside the workshop, located on al-Shifa district, in western Mosul.”
“The jets also destroyed two IS locations, one of them was used for telecommunications. A bomb factory in Tal Afar town was also destroyed,” the statement added.
On Wednesday, Iraqi troops completely retook al-Rifaie district and raised the Iraqi flags above its buildings.
Iraqi forces have been sweeping through northwestern neighborhoods over the past two weeks in a way to invade the strategic Old City.
More than 16,000 IS members were killed since beginning of operations in Mosul, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, the military spokesperson, said in a press conference on Tuesday declaring that 89.5 percent of western Mosul was liberated with only a few districts remaining under the militants’ control.