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Iraqi forces push deeper into IS-held western side of Mosul

Xinhua, February 25, 2017 Adjust font size:

Iraqi forces on Friday fought heavy clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants and made a new push into one of the neighborhoods in the western side of Mosul after recapturing the city international airport and nearby military base, the Iraqi military said.

The Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) special forces took full control of Ghazlani military base in the southern outskirts of the western side of Mosul after heavy battles with the extremist militants, the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

After the recapture of the base, the CTS forces, for the first time in months, entered al-Mamoun neighborhood and managed to seize 50 percent of it after fierce clashes with the extremist militants, the JOC statement said.

The special forces also advanced to the adjacent Wadi Hajar neighborhood, but no significant progress was made so far, the statement said.

The CTS troops killed many of IS militants, destroying six booby-trapped cars and two vehicles carrying heavy machine guns, along with detonating more than 65 roadside bombs, it added.

Meanwhile, the federal police and elite interior ministry units, known as Rapid Response, took full control of Mosul international airport near Ghazlani base and managed to recapture an open land, named Hawi al-Jawsaq, bring the troops on the edges of the neighborhoods of al-Jawsaq and Tayaran, the JOC statement said.

The heavy clashes during the day resulted in the killing of many IS militants and destruction of at least three car bombs, it said.

The battles on Friday came as Iraqi security forces advance toward the fringes of the western side of Mosul to drive out IS militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, announced on Sunday the start of an offensive to drive extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul, locally known as the right bank of Tigris River, which bisects the city.

Late in January, Abadi declared the liberation of the eastern side of Mosul, or the left bank of Tigris, after more than 100 days of fighting against IS militants.

However, the western side of Mosul, with its narrow streets and a population of between 750,000 and 800,000, appears to be a bigger challenge to the Iraqi forces.

Mosul, 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Endit