Coalition air strike closes Mosul’s last working bridge

ISIL’s mobility is curbed, but residents suffer

BAGHDAD // Mosul residents said yesterday that an air strike had damaged the city’s last useable bridge over the Tigris, forcing residents to cross the river in boats and further disrupting ISIL’s movement.

The residents said the strike happened at dawn on Monday. Iraq officials and those from and the US-led coalition battling ISIL were not available to comment.

Activists from Mosul published pictures on Tuesday night of the metal bridge, known as the Old Bridge, showing its twisted girders sinking into the water as boats ferried residents from both banks.

The bridge, which was built during the reign of King Ghazi in the 1930s, is considered one of the city’s landmarks.

Until recently, Mosul had five bridges spanning the Tigris , which runs through the centre of the northern city. One was disabled in the weeks before the offensive to retake the city began on October 17, while the other four have since been bombed in air strikes.

So far, most of the fighting in Mosul has taken place on the east bank of the Tigris. Iraqi forces are expected to use pontoon bridges to cross the river as they have done in military operations in other areas.

Fighting on all fronts, but centred mainly on Mosul’s eastern edge, has slowed recently as suicide car bombings, snipers and concern over the safety of civilians hamper the Iraqi troops’ advance towards the city centre.

On Tuesday, Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi said ISIL militants had so far launched more than 900 car bombs against Iraqi troops during the Mosul operations, but did not give details on how many were driven by suicide bombers or were blown up before reaching their targets.

“God willing, there will be good news in the coming days,” Mr Al Abadi said.

Mosul, 360 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, is Iraq’s second-largest city and ISIL’s last major bastion in the country. It fell to ISIL during the militants’ 2014 onslaught that left the group in control of swaths of northern and western Iraq.