Just in:
First-Ever Fortune Innovation Forum Draws Top Global Leaders to Hong Kong, Promoting Agendas On Collective Cross-Sector Advancement // Melco Style Presents “SANRIO CHARACTERS STUDIO CITY CARNIVAL” – Explore a SANRIO World of Unlimited Love and Cuteness // Lisboeta Macau’s world first LINE FRIENDS PRESENTS CASA DE AMIGO and BROWN & FRIENDS CAFE & BISTRO has officially opened // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // New Nylon Constant Torque Hinge From Southco Provides Position Control In A Compact Package // Emirates Post Speeds Up Deliveries for GCC with Special Day // TUMI Hosts Global Launch Event in Singapore to Unveil Women’s Asra Collection and Announce Global Ambassador, Mun Ka Young // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // Arvind Kejriwal Was Used By BJP In 2011 Movement To Take On The Congress // Sharpening the Focus: Sharjah Health Department Refines Evaluation Criteria for “Healthy Schools Programme” // French Leaders Gather for Interfaith Iftar Dinner // Following the Money Trail: US and UK Investigate $20 Billion in USDT Transfers Tied to Sanctioned Russian Exchange // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Global Audience to Witness Thrill of Dubai World Cup //
HomeWorldIraqi forces claim recapture of eastern Mosul after 100 days of fighting

Iraqi forces claim recapture of eastern Mosul after 100 days of fighting

By Maher Chmaytelli and Saif Hameed
| BAGHDAD

ADVERTISEMENT

BAGHDAD Iraqi officials said on Monday government forces had taken complete control of eastern Mosul, 100 days after the start of their U.S.-backed campaign to dislodge Islamic State militants from the city.

The deputy parliament speaker announced the capture of the east of the city, Islamic State’s last major stronghold in Iraq, after a meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

“We completed the total liberation of the left bank of Mosul and this is a gift to the Iraqi people,” said Sheikh Humam Hamoudi in a statement, quoting Abadi at the meeting.

The army on Sunday entered Rashidiya, the last district under the control of the militants on the east bank of the Tigris, said military spokesman Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool.

Mopping-up operations were still under way on Monday to flush out remaining militants in a pocket in this northeastern district, he said in a statement.

A resident of Rashidiya said the army had stormed the area after air strikes destroyed a tank and car bomb the militants had been preparing to attack the advancing forces.

A resident of Zanjali, a district on the west side of Mosul, said Islamic State fighters “have arrived from the left bank and are trying to find houses on the right bank”, fleeing from the government forces’ advance.

The resident asked not to identified as the militants kill those caught speaking with the outside world.

Iraqi forces launched a campaign on Oct. 17 to retake Mosul from the hardline Sunni group, which captured the city in 2014, declaring from its Grand Mosque a “caliphate” that also spanned parts of Syria, ruled by its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

MILITANTS CORNERED

The defence ministry had earlier on Monday issued a statement announcing the complete takeover of eastern Mosul, adding that Abadi would be making a formal announcement later. The statement was later removed from the ministry’s website.

A U.S.-led coalition is providing air and ground support to the Iraqi forces.

The west side of Mosul could prove more complicated to take than the east as it is crisscrossed by streets too narrow for armoured vehicles.

The militants are expected to put up a tough fight as they are cornered in a shrinking area of the northern Iraqi city.

Mosul had a pre-war population of nearly 2 million, and about 750,000 people are estimated to live in western Mosul. More than 160,000 have been displaced since the start of the offensive, according to the United Nations.

The UN expressed “deep concern” for the fate of civilians in western Mosul ahead of the looming battle.

“The reports from inside western Mosul are distressing,” Lise Grande, humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said in a statement.

“The prices of basic food and supplies are soaring … many families without income are eating only once a day. Others are being forced to burn furniture to stay warm.”

The battle for Mosul, involving 100,000 Iraqi troops, members of the Kurdish security forces and Shi’ite militiamen, is the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.

Iraqi forces estimated the number of militants inside the city at 5,000 to 6,000 at the start of operations three months ago, and says 3,300 have been killed in the fighting since.

The militants blew up a landmark hotel in western Mosul on Friday in an apparent attempt to prevent advancing Iraqi forces from using it as a base or a sniper position when fighting moves west of the Tigris.

The Mosul Hotel, shaped as a stepped pyramid, stands close to the river.

State TV said the army had set up temporary bridges across the Tigris south of Mosul to allow troops to cross in preparation for the offensive on the western bank.

The city’s five permanent bridges across the Tigris have been damaged by U.S.-led air strikes and Islamic State blew up two.

(Editing by Andrew Roche)

-Reuters

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
Sharpening the Focus: Sharjah Health Department Refines Evaluation Criteria for “Healthy Schools Programme” // Melco Style Presents “SANRIO CHARACTERS STUDIO CITY CARNIVAL” – Explore a SANRIO World of Unlimited Love and Cuteness // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // CABSAT 2024 Ushers in 30 Years of Media Innovation // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Emirati Aid Reaches Ukraine as Food Shortages Bite // U.S. Compliance Takes Center Stage at OKX Following Industry Jitters // Ingdan Announces 2023 Annual Results // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // First-Ever Fortune Innovation Forum Draws Top Global Leaders to Hong Kong, Promoting Agendas On Collective Cross-Sector Advancement // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Lisboeta Macau’s world first LINE FRIENDS PRESENTS CASA DE AMIGO and BROWN & FRIENDS CAFE & BISTRO has officially opened // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Will Be The Costliest One Till Now In The Whole World // Konica Minolta is named ASEAN 2023 Market Leader in Colour Light and Mid Digital Production Printers // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV // TUMI Hosts Global Launch Event in Singapore to Unveil Women’s Asra Collection and Announce Global Ambassador, Mun Ka Young //