(UPDATED) Iraqi troops retake first district to have fallen to IS in Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi government forces recaptured Sunday the first district to have fallen in Islamic State’s grip in western Mosul, setting 80 families free from there as operations near recapturing the group’s last strongholds in the region, a security source was quoted saying.

BasNews quoted Iraqi army Major Ali Mohsen saying forces took over the 17 Tamuz (July 17th), the very first neighborhood of Mosul to have fallen in IS grip in June 2014. Shafaaq News website quoted a security source saying that Iraqi forces managed to free 80 families from the northern area of that neighborhood.

Mohsen told BasNews that the forces also took over the 30 Tamuz district and were in control over 60 percent of al-Refaie. He said troops were preparing to invade al-Najjar district and the Mosul Hotel.

BasNews quoted Ahmed al-Obaidi, a Federal Police Captain, said IS militants on Sunday shot dead 16 Iraqi women who were trying to flee al-Rifaie, adding that 30 other families in the same district.

Iraqi government and United Nations counts put the number of Iraqis displaced since the launch of the offensive to retake Mosul from IS in October 2016 at at least 600.000. Nineveh municipal officials say there are 600.000 others who fled to relatives or rented residences and therefore had not been registered.

Islamic State has faced accusations by U.N., Iraqi government and aid agencies of using civilians as human shields. Anxiousness for civilians’ lives had been a major reason behind occasional slowdowns of security operations, but dozens have, however, been killed in operations by Iraqi forces and the allied U.S.-led coalition.

Iraqi commanders have said they predict Mosul to be fully liberated from militants before the holy month of Ramadan, which starts May 27th, and said they control 90 percent of the western side of the city.