2 gunmen killed, kidnapped person released in Mosul

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi security forces killed two gunmen and freed a kidnapped man in two separate operations in Mosul, a police source said. “A police force killed two gunmen in Mosul al-Jadieda region in western Mosul during a crackdown operation in the region,” the source told IraqiNews.com. “The force also found a gun and a hand grenade in their possession,” he added. “Policemen also managed to free a kidnapped person in al-Wehda neighborhood in southeastern Mosul,” he said, noting that the kidnappers fled the region. “A police force found nine Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) in al-Azaem village on borders with Syria, west of Mosul,” the source added. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. The original city of Mosul stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient biblical city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial areas on both banks, with five bridges linking the two sides. Despite having an amount of Kurdish population, it does not form part of the area controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government Kurdistan RegionG). There are different communities in Mosul like Christians, Shiites and Kurds along with a Sunni majority. The fabric Muslin, long manufactured here, is named for this city. Another historically important product of the area is Mosul marble. The city is also a historic center for the Nestorian Christianity of the Assyrians, containing the tombs of several Old Testament prophets such as Jonah, Yunus in Arabic, and Nahum. SH (S)/SR 1