Commander: 4 IS suicide bombers killed near western Mosul police bureau

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi forces killed four Islamic State suicide bombers on Tuesday near a recently recaptured police department, the Iraqi operations commander has said.

Lt. Gen. Nijm al-Jubouri said security forces killed the four suicide bombers and detonated a booby-trapped vehicle near the police directorate in Dindan, a district which the troops stormed on Sunday on their way to near the Mosul Old City.

Jubouri’s statement comes a few hours after the Joint Operations Command said government troops recaptured the government complex in central Mosul, a major accomplishment which Iraqi generals believe is decisive in victory against IS. The complex hosts a main central bank branch, a courthouse and a police department besides other government agencies.

Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops, captured eastern Mosul late January, and launched a new offensive in mid February to clear the western region from IS militants. The extremist group has reportedly suffered severe losses in personnel and finances, and its defenses are said to have been collapsing faster compared to the eastern region.

The conflict in Mosul forced more than 200.000 to leave homes to refugee camps, according to data from the United Nations and the Iraqi government.