Civilian toll mounts as Mosul fight deepens
IRAQ: Iraqi forces pushed Islamic State fighters back further in Mosul yesterday in a renewed effort to seize the northern Iraqi city and deal a decisive blow to the militant group, though progress was slow in some districts, the army said.
Iraqi forces and their allies have captured villages and towns surrounding Mosul and seized at least two-thirds of its eastern districts, reaching the eastern bank of the Tigris River on Monday.
The government had initially hoped to retake Mosul by the end of 2016 but three months into the United States-backed campaign, the militants still control the territory west of the Tigris that bisects the city from north to south.
Mosul is the largest city still under Isis control in Iraq or Syria.
Civilians wounded in the fighting have streamed into nearby hospitals. Iraqi forces blamed Isis for shooting at fleeing residents and shelling populated areas after losing control of them.
Advances inside Mosul slowed in November and December as troops engaged in tough urban warfare with the jihadists, who are thought to number several thousand.
The militants fought back with suicide car bombs and snipers hidden among the civilian population. They also recently blew up sections of two bridges crossing the Tigris to try to slow the Iraqi advance.
Elite forces in the city’s east and northeast had advanced faster since the start of the year, thanks to new tactics and better coordination, but there was stiff resistance in the southeast of Mosul as Iraqi forces pushed towards the Tigris, military officials said.
‘‘The challenge is that [Isis] are hiding among civilian families – that’s why our advances are slow and very cautious,’’ said Lieutenant Colonel Abdel Amir alMohammedawi, a spokesman for the rapid response units of Iraq’s federal police.
Coalition spokesman US Air Force Colonel John Dorrian said militant fighters were hiding in mosques, schools and hospitals, using civilians as human shields.
– Reuters