Reinforced Iraqi forces to resume Mosul push

MOSUL, IRAQ — Iraqi forces stalled for weeks on the edges of Mosul have been bolstered by reinforcements and are now ready, along with elite special forces, to launch a stepped-up, three-pronged assault against Islamic State militants in the city’s eastern sector, ending a twoweek lull in fighting, a top Iraqi general says.

The planned assault aims in part to overcome stiff resistance by the militants that has slowed advances in the more than 2-month-old offensive to recapture the northern city, the last main bastion of the Islamic State in Iraq.

In an attempt to isolate militants in the eastern sector from those in the western half of Mosul, warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition destroyed the last remaining bridge over the Tigris River, which runs through city center.

So far in the Mosul offensive, Iraq’s counterterrorism forces, which are by far the military’s most battle-seasoned unit, have done most of the fighting, pushing in from the east. But regular army troops on the city’s southeast and northern edges, as well as federal police farther west, have not moved in weeks, unable to penetrate the city either because they are not equipped or trained to fight on the streets or because of inadequate resources.

Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, commander of the counterterrorism forces in eastern Mosul, said in an interview that units of the federal police have joined units from the military’s 9th Division southeast of Mosul, while troops have taken positions alongside units from the army’s 16th Division on the north side.

Al-Saadi would not say when the advance would begin. But it appeared likely within days, weather permitting. He would not give details on the size of the reinforcements.

The new reinforcements suggest that original plans to penetrate the city’s western side have been abandoned and that the plan is now for all forces to push on in the eastern sector.

The bridge hit this week was the last remaining of five bridges across the Tigris between the western and eastern halves. Activists inside Mosul published photos Tuesday night showing the twisted girders of the bridge in the water as boats ferried residents back and forth.

The damage is expected to further complicate life inside Mosul.

The counterterrorism forces, known as the “Golden Division,” have faced grueling urban fighting against Islamic State militants who have had more than two years to dig in and prepare.

CENGIZ YAR / AP Iraqis displaced from Mosul receive aid near Qayara on Wednesday. Iraqi military leaders say they will soon launch an offensive against militants in Mosul.