Daesh launches chlorine rockets on west Mosul

Daesh has launched a chemical attack in a recently-liberated area in west Mosul, severely injuring several Iraqi soldiers.

According to security sources on Saturday, missiles loaded with chlorine were fired at al-Abar neighborhood, injuring at least seven troops who were treated for respiratory problems.

The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19.

Iraqi army soldiers and pro-government fighters from Popular Mobilization Units have made sweeping gains against the Takfiri elements since launching the operation to retake Mosul last October.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s federal police announced that they had killed a high-ranking Daesh commander and gained control of a network of tunnels used by the terrorists.

“The forces killed Daesh leader called Mahmoud Ali Mahmoud Matar al-Hadidi during clashes with the group members in the Old City,” said lieutenant General Shaker Jawdat.

“The troops controlled the group’s network of tunnels, in the south of the city, that is used as an alternative headquarters by the leaders,” he added.

The Iraqi government also announced that the number of people who have managed to flee the Daesh terrorists in Mosul has reached 500,000.

"The number of the displaced residents from some regions in Nineveh exceeded 500,000 persons, including 320,000 people from Western Mosul. The residents were distributed among camps located in south and east of Mosul,” said a statement released by the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement.

SS