Iraqi forces kill 30 militants, defuse 30 car bombs in Mosul

Sunday, 13 November 2016 12:17 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 13 November 2016 12:19 AM ]

An Iraqi federal policeman aims his heavy machine gun on a vehicle in Samah district, eastern Mosul, Iraq November 12, 2016. (Photos by Reuters)

Forces from Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) have purged Daesh from two districts in eastern Mosul and are advancing in a third neighborhood.

CTS commander Lieutenant-General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi made the announcement on Saturday, while adding that 30 Takfiri militants were killed in the process.

He said that Iraqi forces are now fully in control of the district of al-Arbajiya and are currently halfway through purging the adjacent al-Qadisiya al-Thaniya district.

People gather as smoke rises from oil wells, set ablaze by Daesh militants before the militants fled the oil-producing region of Qayyarah, Iraq, November 12, 2016.

"We destroyed more than 10 suicide car bombs and killed snipers and weapons teams," Saidi said in a televised interview. "The clearing is continuing and in the coming hours, God willing, this quarter will be completely cleared," he added.

After months of preparation, Iraqi army soldiers, backed by pro-government fighters from Popular Mobilization Units and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, launched an operation on October 17 to retake the strategic city of Mosul from the Daesh terrorists.

"The biggest challenge, which is holding up the advance, is the presence of civilians ... and their use as human shields by the terrorists," added Saidi.

An Iraqi special forces policeman carries a RPG in Karamah, south of Mosul, Iraq November 12, 2016.

He noted that in some cases during the evacuation of civilians, armed militants hiding among them open fire on Iraqi troops.

"There are Daesh elements on the roofs while families are present on the ground floor -- that means we have to find a way to deal with the Daesh forces on the roofs without damaging the house or the families," he added.

Daesh resisting in south Mosul

According to military sources, Iraqi security forces are faced with fierce terrorist resistance from the militants in Mosul’s southern districts.

The sources note that the militants have taken up positions on the rooftops of civilian residences and are using drones to hinder the Iraqi forces progression.

A member of Peshmerga forces inspects a tunnel used by Daesh militants in the town of Bashiqa, after it was recaptured from the terrorists, east of Mosul, Iraq, November 12, 2016.

Daesh is also using a network of tunnels located across the city to merge into the civilian population and surface to launch surprise attacks and ambushes on Iraqi soldiers.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed that Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, will be fully recaptured by year-end.

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