Iraqi troops push deeper into Mosul urban areas

Iraqi special forces have begun an assault into more urban neighborhoods of Mosul from its easternmost district in their latest push to drive Daesh terrorists from the city.

Troops on Friday pounded Daesh positions in the Aden, Tahrir, and Quds districts of Mosul with artillery and mortar fire, a field commander said.  

According to Press TV, the advance began near the recently-recaptured Gogjali and Karama neighborhoods, with the commander of the special forces saying they had gained a foothold in the city quicker than expected.

"Instead of the days we had set aside for these battles, they ended in just a few hours," Lieutenant-General Abdul Ghani al-Assadi said. 

Daesh terrorists launched one of their diversionary strikes, taking over a mosque and several houses in the town of Shirqat south of Mosul and killing seven soldiers and volunteer fighters.

Police said the Takfiri terrorists crossed from the eastern side of the Tigris river into the town at 3 a.m. local time, taking over al-Ba'aja mosque and spreading out into alleyways.

Security forces declared a curfew in the town and said reinforcements from the Hashd al-Sha'abi forces were being sent to Shirqat.

Special forces breached the eastern boundary of Mosul earlier this week but since then they have not made significant headway deeper into the city.

The western side of the city remains largely open to a vast desert leading to Syria, which Daesh terrorists are still able to access in small numbers.

On Thursday, the commander of Iraq's largest volunteer force said his fighters were about to cut off the western supply route used by Daesh out of Mosul.

"Today, God willing, is the completion of the first stage of the Hashd operations - that is cutting the supply route of the enemy between Tal Afar and the Muhalabiya district, reaching to Mosul," Hadi al-Ameri said.

Iraqi troops managed to enter Mosul's limits on Tuesday for the first time since 2014, when Daesh began its terror campaign in northern and western Iraq.

Other Iraqi forces are also advancing on the city from multiple directions, but the eastern front has seen the quickest gains in an offensive launched less than three weeks ago.

Advances have been slower to the south, with government troops still 35 kilometers away, although they seized a handful of villages late last week.

ME