Iraqi army, allies battle Daesh in Mosul as civilians flee fighting

Iraqi army soldiers, backed by pro-government fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, have made fresh gains in door-to-door fighting against Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the Old City of Mosul as they are battling to expel the extremists from the country’s second largest city.

According to Press TV, an unnamed military spokesman said on Monday that Iraqi Federal Police forces “are engaged in difficult, house-to-house clashes with Daesh” terrorists inside Mosul’s Old City.

He added that government troops were extensively making use of remotely-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles to locate the extremists, who were hiding among civilians, and direct airstrikes on the targets.

A police spokesman, requesting anonymity, also said Iraqi forces were closing in on Grand al-Nuri Mosque, where purported Daesh ringleader Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gave his famous speech on the formation of the terror group.

Meanwhile, Commander of Federal Police Forces Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat said his forces had killed 60 Daesh extremists.

Shaker added that the Takfiri terrorists were killed on Monday as security personnel were advancing in al-Farouq district near the Grand al-Nuri Mosque.

Hossam al-Abbar, a member of the Nineveh provincial council, also said in a statement that security forces had been in control of 75 percent of the western side of Mosul.

He said battles were concentrated around the centuries-old Grand al-Nuri Mosque, and troops were preparing to storm the area with snipers, hand grenades and assault rifles.

Abbar stressed that government forces would not use artillery units and airstrikes during the forthcoming offensive in order to prevent civilian casualties.

Also on Monday, the United Nations announced that nearly half a million civilians had fled fighting since the offensive to retake Mosul from Daesh terrorists started on October 17, 2016.

SS