The end for ISIS? Iraqi troops’ final offensive in Mosul
IRAQI forces were last night closer to victory against Islamic State as they launched their final offensive on Mosul.
Desperate jihadis have hit back with mortars and a wave of suicide attacks – some involving children – as troops pushed to the edges of Mosul Old City. The battle for the historic district is seen as pivotal to recapturing the final remaining IS stronghold in Iraq.
About 2,000 fighters are thought to still be defending IS-held areas.
Former British Army officer Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, now an adviser to Kurdish Peshmerga forces, said: “Many fighters have gone, but it appears we are reaching the end, and it’s happening a lot faster than we anticipated. There will be many terror cells to dismantle and many IS fighters will have gone to ground, back into the population.”
Colonel Abdul Amir, leader of an elite jihadi- hunting SWAT team, claimed extremists were “in a state of panic” and had “given up on” Mosul.
But he added the terror organisation was “desperate to get what remains of their senior leadership out of the city”. As aid packages were delivered, humanitarian groups called for the safe evacuation of civilians trapped by fighting. Some 65,000 have fled, but more than half a million are said to be stuck in IS-held areas.
Meanwhile IS has released dozens of prisoners held for offences like selling cigarettes and violating a smoking ban.
One resident said his brother had suddenly turned up at home after spending a month in captivity.