Iraqi forces charge at new districts northeast, southeast of Mosul
Iraqi army forces in Mosul.
A security source was quoted by Shafaaq News website as saying that government artillery bombarded Islamic State locations in al-Kindi district, north of the eastern section of Mosul, preparing to storm the neighborhood.
Earlier on the same day, the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service forces invaded Sokkar and Baladiyat districts, also in the north.
Shafaaq News also quoted other security sources as saying that forces from the army’s 9th division and Federal Police waged an attack on Sumer and Domiz neighborhoods in the southeast.
Military officials said Saturday they became closer to the Tigris River, which bisects the city. Iraqi generals hope they will soon move onwards to the river’s western bank, where IS still maintain strongholds near the borders with Syria.
The Iraqi government launched operations last October, with backing from a U.S-led international military coalition, to retake the city of Mosul, IS’s biggest stronghold in Iraq which fell to the extremist group in 2014. PM Haider al-Abadi said in December he predicted the city to be cleared from militants in two months. Iraqi generals have said they became in control over 70 percent of the city’s eastern part.