US and Iraqi officials believe the leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has left operational commanders behind with diehard followers to fight the battle of Mosul, and is now hiding out in the desert, focusing mainly on his own survival.

It is impossible to confirm the whereabouts of the Islamic State &quot;caliph&quot;, who declared himself the ruler of all Muslims from Mosul&#39;s Great Mosque after his forces swept through northern Iraq in 2014.

READ:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/report-on-is-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-admitting-defeat-in-iraq-may-not-be-true-12955">Report on IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi admitting defeat in Iraq may not be true</a>

But US&nbsp;and Iraqi intelligence sources say an absence of official communication from the group&#39;s leadership and the loss of territory in Mosul suggest he has abandoned the city, by far the largest population centre his group has ever held.

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WION brings you footage from Iraqi forces battling IS in Mosul (Reuters)
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He has proved to be an elusive target, rarely using communication that can be monitored, and moving constantly, often multiple times in one 24-hour cycle, the sources say.

From their efforts to track him, they believe he hides mostly among sympathetic civilians in familiar desert villages, rather than with fighters in their barracks in urban areas where combat has been under way, the sources say.

At the height of its power two years ago, Islamic State ruled over millions of people in territory running from northern Syria through towns and villages along the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys to the outskirts of Baghdad in Iraq.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iraq-removed-from-travel-ban-partly-for-fight-against-islamic-state-us-13175">US-backed Iraqi forces began an operation five months ago to recapture Mosul</a>, a city at least four times the size of any other the group has held. The biggest battle in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003, it has been slow going, in part because hundreds of thousands of civilians remain in harm&#39;s way.

The 100,000-strong Iraqi forcefully captured the eastern half of Mosul in January, and commanders began an operation to cross the Tigris and take the western half last month. Progress has since been steady and the coalition says its victory is now inevitable, which would dismantle the caliphate in Iraq.

The intelligence sources point to a sharp drop in Islamic State postings on social media as evidence that Baghdadi and his circle have become increasingly isolated.

Baghdadi himself has not released a recorded speech since early November, two weeks after the start of the Mosul battle, when he called on his followers to fight the &quot;unbelievers&quot; and &quot;make their blood flow as rivers.&quot;

Since then, sporadic Islamic State statements mention attacks carried out by suicide bombers at various locations in Iraq and Syria, but place no particular emphasis on Mosul, despite the city being the main centre of fighting.

Neither Baghdadi nor any of his close aides released any comment on the fall of the eastern part of the city in January.

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A sniper aims his weapon towards Islamic State fighters in west Mosul as Iraqi forces continue to push ahead in the city. (AFP)
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The group&#39;s presence on Telegram, a social media network that had become its main platform for announcements and speeches, has tapered off. The coalition estimates that Islamic State activity on Twitter has fallen by 45 percent since 2014, with 360,000 of the group&#39;s Twitter accounts suspended so far and new ones usually shut down within two days.

In what is likely to be a major symbolic victory for the US-backed Iraqi forces, they are now closing in on the area around Mosul&#39;s Great Mosque on the western bank of the Tigris, where Baghdadi proclaimed his caliphate.

More than half of the 6,000 jihadists left to defend the city have been killed, according to Hisham al-Hashimi, the author of the book &quot;World of Daesh&quot;, who also advises the Iraqi government. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

US&nbsp;commanders sound upbeat and say the battle for the city is now in a late stage.

&quot;The game is up,&quot; US&nbsp;Air Force Brigadier General Matthew Isler told Reuters at the Qayyara West Airfield south of Mosul, adding that some of Islamic State&#39;s foreign fighters are trying to leave the city.

Those left behind to fight, mostly Iraqis, are putting up a &quot;very hard fight&quot; on the tactical level but they are no longer an integrated force, as coalition air strikes took out command and control centres, car bombs and weapon caches, he said.

&quot;They have lost this fight and what you&#39;re seeing is a delaying action,&quot; he said.

Although the loss of Mosul would effectively end Islamic State&#39;s territorial rule in Iraq, US&nbsp;and Iraqi officials are preparing for the group to go underground and fight an insurgency like the one that followed the US-led invasion.

The &quot;caliphate&quot; as a state structure would end with the capture of Raqqa, its de facto capital in Syria, possibly later this year.

Raqqa is far smaller than Mosul, but mounting operations against Islamic State in Syria has been trickier than in Iraq, because the group&#39;s many Syrian enemies have mostly been pre-occupied fighting among themselves in a civil war since 2011.

Nevertheless, Islamic State has faced setbacks in Syria over the past year against three main foes: US-backed Kurdish and Arab militias, the Russian-backed Syrian army, and mainly Sunni Muslim Syrian rebels backed by Turkey.

&quot;The inevitability of their destruction just becomes really a matter of time,&quot; said Major General Rupert Jones, deputy commander for the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition, adding that the group&#39;s leadership was now focused on little more than survival.

The last official report about Baghdadi was from the Iraqi military on February&nbsp;13&nbsp;Iraqi F-16s carried out a strike on a house where he was thought to be meeting other commanders, in western Iraq, near the Syrian border, it said.

Baghdadi, an Iraqi whose real name is Ibrahim al-Samarrai, is moving in a remote, mostly-desert stretch populated exclusively by Sunni Arab tribes north of the Euphrates river, according to Hashimi.

The area stretches from the town of Baaj, in northwestern Iraq, to the Syrian border town of Albu Kamal on the Euphrates.

&quot;It&#39;s their historic region, they know the people there and the terrain; food, water and gasoline are easy to get, spies are easier to spot&quot; than in crowded areas, he said.

The US&nbsp;government has had a joint task force to track down Baghdadi which includes special operations forces, the CIA and other US&nbsp;intelligence agencies as well as spy satellites of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

But Baghdadi seems to have learnt the lessons from the 2011 capture and killing of Osama bin Ladin, and relies on multiple couriers and not just one, unlike the al-Qaida founder, say US&nbsp;intelligence sources.&nbsp;He also switches cars during trips, a lesson learnt from the 2011 drone strike that killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida figure in Yemen.

Baghdadi has not publicly appointed a successor, but Iyad al-Obaidi, also known as Fadel Haifa, a security officer under former dictator Saddam Hussein, is known to be the de facto deputy, according to Iraqi intelligence sources.

More than 40 leading members of the group have been killed in coalition air strikes, but the insurgency is likely to continue even if Mosul is captured and Baghdadi and his aides are killed, according to Iraqi security experts.

&quot;There will be other commanders rising because the structure of the organisation remains,&quot; said Fadhil Abu Ragheef, an Iraqi security expert specialized in IS affairs.

(Reuters)

US?and Iraqi intelligence sources say the loss of territory in Mosul suggest the IS chief has abandoned the city

US and Iraqi officials believe the leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has left operational commanders behind with diehard followers to fight the battle of Mosul, and is now hiding out in the desert, focusing mainly on his own survival. It is impossible to confirm the whereabouts of the Islamic State "caliph", who declared himself the ruler of all Muslims from Mosul's Great Mosque after his forces swept through northern Iraq in 2014. READ: Report on IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi admitting defeat in Iraq may not be true But US and Iraqi intelligence sources say an absence of official communication from the group's leadership and the loss of territory in Mosul suggest he has abandoned the city, by far the largest population centre his group has ever held. WION brings you footage from Iraqi forces battling IS in Mosul (Reuters) × He has proved to be an elusive target, rarely using communication that can be monitored, and moving constantly, often multiple times in one 24-hour cycle, the sources say. From their efforts to track him, they believe he hides mostly among sympathetic civilians in familiar desert villages, rather than with fighters in their barracks in urban areas where combat has been under way, the sources say. At the height of its power two years ago, Islamic State ruled over millions of people in territory running from northern Syria through towns and villages along the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys to the outskirts of Baghdad in Iraq. US-backed Iraqi forces began an operation five months ago to recapture Mosul, a city at least four times the size of any other the group has held. The biggest battle in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003, it has been slow going, in part because hundreds of thousands of civilians remain in harm's way. The 100,000-strong Iraqi forcefully captured the eastern half of Mosul in January, and commanders began an operation to cross the Tigris and take the western half last month. Progress has since been steady and the coalition says its victory is now inevitable, which would dismantle the caliphate in Iraq. The intelligence sources point to a sharp drop in Islamic State postings on social media as evidence that Baghdadi and his circle have become increasingly isolated. Baghdadi himself has not released a recorded speech since early November, two weeks after the start of the Mosul battle, when he called on his followers to fight the "unbelievers" and "make their blood flow as rivers." Since then, sporadic Islamic State statements mention attacks carried out by suicide bombers at various locations in Iraq and Syria, but place no particular emphasis on Mosul, despite the city being the main centre of fighting. Neither Baghdadi nor any of his close aides released any comment on the fall of the eastern part of the city in January. A sniper aims his weapon towards Islamic State fighters in west Mosul as Iraqi forces continue to push ahead in the city. (AFP) × The group's presence on Telegram, a social media network that had become its main platform for announcements and speeches, has tapered off. The coalition estimates that Islamic State activity on Twitter has fallen by 45 percent since 2014, with 360,000 of the group's Twitter accounts suspended so far and new ones usually shut down within two days. In what is likely to be a major symbolic victory for the US-backed Iraqi forces, they are now closing in on the area around Mosul's Great Mosque on the western bank of the Tigris, where Baghdadi proclaimed his caliphate. More than half of the 6,000 jihadists left to defend the city have been killed, according to Hisham al-Hashimi, the author of the book "World of Daesh", who also advises the Iraqi government. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. US commanders sound upbeat and say the battle for the city is now in a late stage. "The game is up," US Air Force Brigadier General Matthew Isler told Reuters at the Qayyara West Airfield south of Mosul, adding that some of Islamic State's foreign fighters are trying to leave the city. Those left behind to fight, mostly Iraqis, are putting up a "very hard fight" on the tactical level but they are no longer an integrated force, as coalition air strikes took out command and control centres, car bombs and weapon caches, he said. "They have lost this fight and what you're seeing is a delaying action," he said. Although the loss of Mosul would effectively end Islamic State's territorial rule in Iraq, US and Iraqi officials are preparing for the group to go underground and fight an insurgency like the one that followed the US-led invasion. The "caliphate" as a state structure would end with the capture of Raqqa, its de facto capital in Syria, possibly later this year. Raqqa is far smaller than Mosul, but mounting operations against Islamic State in Syria has been trickier than in Iraq, because the group's many Syrian enemies have mostly been pre-occupied fighting among themselves in a civil war since 2011. Nevertheless, Islamic State has faced setbacks in Syria over the past year against three main foes: US-backed Kurdish and Arab militias, the Russian-backed Syrian army, and mainly Sunni Muslim Syrian rebels backed by Turkey. "The inevitability of their destruction just becomes really a matter of time," said Major General Rupert Jones, deputy commander for the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition, adding that the group's leadership was now focused on little more than survival. The last official report about Baghdadi was from the Iraqi military on February 13 Iraqi F-16s carried out a strike on a house where he was thought to be meeting other commanders, in western Iraq, near the Syrian border, it said. Baghdadi, an Iraqi whose real name is Ibrahim al-Samarrai, is moving in a remote, mostly-desert stretch populated exclusively by Sunni Arab tribes north of the Euphrates river, according to Hashimi. The area stretches from the town of Baaj, in northwestern Iraq, to the Syrian border town of Albu Kamal on the Euphrates. "It's their historic region, they know the people there and the terrain; food, water and gasoline are easy to get, spies are easier to spot" than in crowded areas, he said. The US government has had a joint task force to track down Baghdadi which includes special operations forces, the CIA and other US intelligence agencies as well as spy satellites of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. But Baghdadi seems to have learnt the lessons from the 2011 capture and killing of Osama bin Ladin, and relies on multiple couriers and not just one, unlike the al-Qaida founder, say US intelligence sources. He also switches cars during trips, a lesson learnt from the 2011 drone strike that killed Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida figure in Yemen. Baghdadi has not publicly appointed a successor, but Iyad al-Obaidi, also known as Fadel Haifa, a security officer under former dictator Saddam Hussein, is known to be the de facto deputy, according to Iraqi intelligence sources. More than 40 leading members of the group have been killed in coalition air strikes, but the insurgency is likely to continue even if Mosul is captured and Baghdadi and his aides are killed, according to Iraqi security experts. "There will be other commanders rising because the structure of the organisation remains," said Fadhil Abu Ragheef, an Iraqi security expert specialized in IS affairs. (Reuters)

Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has abandoned Mosul: US intelligence

Ninety-year-old Khatla Ali Abdallah has survived decades of turbulence in northern Iraq, but the frail grandmother who fled the battle for Mosul this week says the fighting there is the worst she has ever seen.

Carried across the desert by her grandsons, under sniper and mortar fire, she was one of the&nbsp;thousands who braved the difficult and dangerous journey out of Islamic State&#39;s shrinking stronghold in the west of the city.

&quot;I&#39;m a 90-year-old woman and I haven&rsquo;t seen such a war,&quot; she said in a camp for displaced people south of Mosul, where she was taken by Iraqi security forces.

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The 90-year-old is carried by a member of the Iraqi forces in the desert in western Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters)
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Khatla lived through Saddam Hussein&#39;s quarter century in power, when Iraq fought wars with neighbouring Iran and Kuwait and endured a decade of devastating sanctions. That was followed by a U.S.-led invasion which toppled Saddam and led to years of sectarian war across the country.

&quot;Even under the Saddam era, we were afraid because of the atrocities and the people killed,&quot; she said. &quot;But nothing is compared to this phase&quot;.

Since the launch of the military campaign in October to retake Mosul from Islamic State, Khatla remained in her home in the city&#39;s southwestern al-Mamoun district, now in the hands of Iraq&#39;s U.S.-backed Counter Terrorism Service (CTS).

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Khatla Ali Abdullah&#39;s hands are seen as she sits at her tent in Hammam al Alil camp. (Reuters)
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At times she took shelter in her basement with the 20 chickens that she looked after - reminders, she said, of her youth when she also herded sheep and cattle.

&quot;I haven&#39;t lost any chickens, not even a one little chick,&quot; she said. &quot;We were trapped in the basement and we could hear the bullets hitting the metal roof of the chicken pen.&quot;

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She talks to her relative as she sits with her daughter (L) in her tent in Hammam al Alil camp. (Reuters)
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&nbsp;

Her grandsons carried her for miles in the desert to reach the CTS lines, and then she was taken on a bus to a camp for internally displaced people.

&quot;We just want to make it through this war,&quot; she said. &quot;This one will make stories for generations to tell.&quot;

(Reuters_

She said even the Saddam Hussein era was nothing compared to the battle for Mosul

Ninety-year-old Khatla Ali Abdallah has survived decades of turbulence in northern Iraq, but the frail grandmother who fled the battle for Mosul this week says the fighting there is the worst she has ever seen. Carried across the desert by her grandsons, under sniper and mortar fire, she was one of the thousands who braved the difficult and dangerous journey out of Islamic State's shrinking stronghold in the west of the city. "I'm a 90-year-old woman and I haven’t seen such a war," she said in a camp for displaced people south of Mosul, where she was taken by Iraqi security forces. The 90-year-old is carried by a member of the Iraqi forces in the desert in western Mosul, Iraq. (Reuters) × Khatla lived through Saddam Hussein's quarter century in power, when Iraq fought wars with neighbouring Iran and Kuwait and endured a decade of devastating sanctions. That was followed by a U.S.-led invasion which toppled Saddam and led to years of sectarian war across the country. "Even under the Saddam era, we were afraid because of the atrocities and the people killed," she said. "But nothing is compared to this phase". Since the launch of the military campaign in October to retake Mosul from Islamic State, Khatla remained in her home in the city's southwestern al-Mamoun district, now in the hands of Iraq's U.S.-backed Counter Terrorism Service (CTS). Khatla Ali Abdullah's hands are seen as she sits at her tent in Hammam al Alil camp. (Reuters) × At times she took shelter in her basement with the 20 chickens that she looked after - reminders, she said, of her youth when she also herded sheep and cattle. "I haven't lost any chickens, not even a one little chick," she said. "We were trapped in the basement and we could hear the bullets hitting the metal roof of the chicken pen." She talks to her relative as she sits with her daughter (L) in her tent in Hammam al Alil camp. (Reuters) × Her grandsons carried her for miles in the desert to reach the CTS lines, and then she was taken on a bus to a camp for internally displaced people. "We just want to make it through this war," she said. "This one will make stories for generations to tell." (Reuters_

'I've never seen such war' says 90-year-old rescued from Mosul

The Iraqi officer addresses a group of men who fled fighting in Mosul, urging them to admit any affiliation with the Islamic State group, and turn in collaborators.

Second Lieutenant&nbsp;Abdullah Qassem&nbsp;is by turns encouraging and reproachful as he talks to the crowd, who fled as Iraqi forces battle to wrest west Mosul from the jihadist group.

The scene is part of the delicate and sometimes tense process by which Iraqi forces are trying to weed out IS members attempting to escape among civilians.

&quot;They made you grow your beards, they banned cigarettes, they controlled you,&quot; says Qassem, dressed in the black uniform of the elite Counter-Terrorism Service and waving a stick to emphasise his point.

&quot;Islam... is about forgiveness, not about killing and fighting. So all of you know what the difference is between Daesh and Islam,&quot; he says, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

&quot;Anyone who helped them or let them in their houses, or gave them women to marry is not honourable,&quot; Qassem says, his voice just loud enough to carry to the back of the group of around 70 men, sitting in rows in the dust in a village south of Mosul.

The men listen quietly, but the chastisement prompts one to interject: &quot;But we couldn&#39;t fight them, we had no power.&quot;

Calmly but firmly, Qassem turns to him, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses: &quot;But how did they enter Mosul in the first place? That&#39;s the question,&quot; he replies, in a tone that does not invite an answer.

Scanning for jihadists&nbsp;

Thousands of civilians, including many women and children, have fled west Mosul since Iraqi forces began the push to retake it on February 19, trekking through the desert during the day and night to escape.

As one group arrives in the tiny village of Al-Salam, they are separated, with women and children brought to a shaded area to receive food and water.

The men are investigated nearby. First, they are asked informally for their names and quizzed for information. Afterwards, their identities are run against a database.

Those who are suspected of or admit to IS ties are taken for additional questioning.

The men sit in rows of around ten, most sporting the uniform-length beard mandated by IS.

They are covered in dust, and many look exhausted and nervous.

After Qassem&#39;s lecture, the men are ordered to stand and place their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them.

Then a local notable, an older man in an immaculate white headscarf leaning on a carved, varnished walking stick, scans each row as he confers with an intelligence officer.

The officer, who declined to give his name, orders each row to sit once it has been reviewed.

&#39;I pledged allegiance&#39;&nbsp;

Then he addresses the group: &quot;If you know someone who pledged allegiance or who worked with Daesh, don&#39;t be afraid. Daesh is finished,&quot; he says.

He beckons a young man in a tracksuit to stand up and come over.

&quot;Look at this man, he came and he admitted to me that he pledged allegiance, and he was with them for 10 days, and nothing will happen to him,&quot; he says, his arms around the shoulders of the young man, whose expression is a mixture of embarrassment and fear.

The officer keeps up his pitch, warning that an admission or discovery of guilt later will not be so kindly received.

And then a man stands up, clutching a sack of belongings, and walks out of the crowd.

&quot;I pledged allegiance, I worked with them in Qayyarah,&quot; he says, referring to an area south of Mosul.

&quot;But I swear it was only for 23 days, then I had a break and I left and never went back to them.&quot;

Then another joins him, dressed in a hat and a leather jacket.

And a third follows, wearing a tracksuit and avoiding eye contact as he makes his way up to the officer at the front, who smiles.

&quot;You see, nothing will happen, you pledged allegiance, you worked with them for a week, a month, three months, it&#39;s nothing. What we need is information,&quot; he says.

&quot;We need to finish with Daesh, they are like cancer. If it persists, it will consume the body.&quot;

(AFP)

Iraqi forces are talking to civilians fleeing west-Mosul to try to weed out IS members

The Iraqi officer addresses a group of men who fled fighting in Mosul, urging them to admit any affiliation with the Islamic State group, and turn in collaborators. Second Lieutenant Abdullah Qassem is by turns encouraging and reproachful as he talks to the crowd, who fled as Iraqi forces battle to wrest west Mosul from the jihadist group. The scene is part of the delicate and sometimes tense process by which Iraqi forces are trying to weed out IS members attempting to escape among civilians. "They made you grow your beards, they banned cigarettes, they controlled you," says Qassem, dressed in the black uniform of the elite Counter-Terrorism Service and waving a stick to emphasise his point. "Islam... is about forgiveness, not about killing and fighting. So all of you know what the difference is between Daesh and Islam," he says, using an Arabic acronym for IS. "Anyone who helped them or let them in their houses, or gave them women to marry is not honourable," Qassem says, his voice just loud enough to carry to the back of the group of around 70 men, sitting in rows in the dust in a village south of Mosul. The men listen quietly, but the chastisement prompts one to interject: "But we couldn't fight them, we had no power." Calmly but firmly, Qassem turns to him, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses: "But how did they enter Mosul in the first place? That's the question," he replies, in a tone that does not invite an answer. Scanning for jihadists Thousands of civilians, including many women and children, have fled west Mosul since Iraqi forces began the push to retake it on February 19, trekking through the desert during the day and night to escape. As one group arrives in the tiny village of Al-Salam, they are separated, with women and children brought to a shaded area to receive food and water. The men are investigated nearby. First, they are asked informally for their names and quizzed for information. Afterwards, their identities are run against a database. Those who are suspected of or admit to IS ties are taken for additional questioning. The men sit in rows of around ten, most sporting the uniform-length beard mandated by IS. They are covered in dust, and many look exhausted and nervous. After Qassem's lecture, the men are ordered to stand and place their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. Then a local notable, an older man in an immaculate white headscarf leaning on a carved, varnished walking stick, scans each row as he confers with an intelligence officer. The officer, who declined to give his name, orders each row to sit once it has been reviewed. 'I pledged allegiance' Then he addresses the group: "If you know someone who pledged allegiance or who worked with Daesh, don't be afraid. Daesh is finished," he says. He beckons a young man in a tracksuit to stand up and come over. "Look at this man, he came and he admitted to me that he pledged allegiance, and he was with them for 10 days, and nothing will happen to him," he says, his arms around the shoulders of the young man, whose expression is a mixture of embarrassment and fear. The officer keeps up his pitch, warning that an admission or discovery of guilt later will not be so kindly received. And then a man stands up, clutching a sack of belongings, and walks out of the crowd. "I pledged allegiance, I worked with them in Qayyarah," he says, referring to an area south of Mosul. "But I swear it was only for 23 days, then I had a break and I left and never went back to them." Then another joins him, dressed in a hat and a leather jacket. And a third follows, wearing a tracksuit and avoiding eye contact as he makes his way up to the officer at the front, who smiles. "You see, nothing will happen, you pledged allegiance, you worked with them for a week, a month, three months, it's nothing. What we need is information," he says. "We need to finish with Daesh, they are like cancer. If it persists, it will consume the body." (AFP)

As civilians flee Mosul, a delicate search for jihadists

US-backed Iraqi forces are engaged in a massive firefight with Islamic State fighters to clear the way to Mosul&#39;s airport, on the second day of a ground offensive on the jihadists&#39; remaining stronghold in the western side of the city.

Federal police and elite interior ministry units known as Rapid Response are leading the charge toward the airport, located on the southern limit of the Mosul, trying to dislodge the militants from a nearby hill known as Albu Saif. The Iraqi forces plan is to turn the airport into a close support base for the onslaught into western Mosul itself.

Iraqi Army Brigadier General Yahya Rasul, spokesperson for the Joint Operations Command, told to the Kurdish media Rudaw that they will face approximately 1,800 Islamic State militants with at least 200 suicide bombers ready to strike.&nbsp;

Islamic State militants are under siege in western Mosul, along with an estimated 650,000 civilians, after they were forced out of the eastern part of the city in the first phase of an offensive that concluded last month, after 100 days of fighting.

Helicopters were strafing the Albu Saif hill to clear it of snipers, while machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades could be heard. The advancing forces also disabled a car bomb - used by the militants to obstruct attacking forces. The Iraqi forces have been advancing so far in sparsely populated areas.&nbsp;

On Monday morning the Iraqi army took control of the main power station which supplies electricity to Mosul&rsquo;s entire western bank.

This third phase of the Mosul offensive could be the last military offensive against the Islamic State in Iraq. This does not mean that the organisation is completely destroyed, they still have a&nbsp;strong <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/the-intimate-invitation-deciphering-the-ideological-appeal-of-the-islamic-state-12128">influence</a>&nbsp;on young men across the region&nbsp;who are ready to take up arms and fight back.

The IS is also under attack in Syria on many fronts:&nbsp;the US-backed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-give-syrian-democratic-forces-armoured-vehicles-11960">Arab/Kurd Syrian Democratic Forces</a> (SDF) and the Turkish-backed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/exclusive-free-syrian-army-leader-talks-about-challenges-of-fighting-the-islamic-state-12452">Free Syrian Army</a> are attacking from the north, the Syrian army is attacking from the west and both Russian and US-led coalition figher jets are bombing them. The IS&#39; capital city in Syria, Raqqa, is still solidly under the organisation&#39;s control, but it is likely that as soon as countries involved in Syria agree to fight together, a massive offensive will start.&nbsp;

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Iraqi Rapid Response force members fire a missile towards Islamic State militants during a battle in south Mosul. (Reuters)
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Up to 400,000 civilians could be displaced by the offensive as residents of western Mosul suffer food and fuel shortages and markets remain closed, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq Lise Grande told Reuters on Saturday.

Commanders expect the battle to be more difficult than in the east of the city, which Iraqi forces have taken&nbsp;control of last month after three months of fighting&nbsp;because tanks and armoured vehicles cannot pass through its narrow alleyways.

Western Mosul contains the old city centre, with its ancient souks, government administrative buildings, and the mosque from which Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his self-styled caliphate over parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014. The city is the largest urban centre captured by Islamic State in both countries.

The area is densely populated and it will be nearly impossible to conduct airstrikes&nbsp;if the coalition forces do not want to risk massive civilian casualties. One bomb missing the objective could cost hundreds of innocent lives. It is also very difficult to gather intelligence insights from the city since the Islamic State controls nearly all the communications and everyone who is found in possess of a phone carrying suspicious numbers will be executed in cold blood.

Living in western Mosul during this phase of the operation is highly risky, the city&#39;s population has been <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/inside-mosul-civilians-pay-highest-price-in-war-between-iraqi-army-is-1360">bearing the brunt of the offensive</a> since months. The Islamic State is in a full-war mode and it is ready to kill whoever tries to escape and reach the eastern area of the city, currently under Iraqi army control. The city suffers also a severe shortage of any primary necessity, from food to running water.

Many of the inner streets are very small and while advancing&nbsp;soldiers do not always enjoy support of armoured vehicles and might even conduct operations on foot in a pure guerrilla style warfare. This makes them highly prone to deadly ambush&nbsp;and sniper fire - both methods that the Islamic State have used extensively during previous battles.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Baghdad on Monday on an unannounced visit but declined to offer details about US battle plans when speaking to reporters on Sunday. &quot;The coalition forces are in support of this operation and we will continue ... with the accelerated effort to destroy ISIS,&quot; he declared.

(WION wth inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Up to 400,000 civilians could be displaced by the offensive as residents of western Mosul suffer food and fuel shortages.

US-backed Iraqi forces are engaged in a massive firefight with Islamic State fighters to clear the way to Mosul's airport, on the second day of a ground offensive on the jihadists' remaining stronghold in the western side of the city. Federal police and elite interior ministry units known as Rapid Response are leading the charge toward the airport, located on the southern limit of the Mosul, trying to dislodge the militants from a nearby hill known as Albu Saif. The Iraqi forces plan is to turn the airport into a close support base for the onslaught into western Mosul itself. Iraqi Army Brigadier General Yahya Rasul, spokesperson for the Joint Operations Command, told to the Kurdish media Rudaw that they will face approximately 1,800 Islamic State militants with at least 200 suicide bombers ready to strike. Islamic State militants are under siege in western Mosul, along with an estimated 650,000 civilians, after they were forced out of the eastern part of the city in the first phase of an offensive that concluded last month, after 100 days of fighting. Helicopters were strafing the Albu Saif hill to clear it of snipers, while machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades could be heard. The advancing forces also disabled a car bomb - used by the militants to obstruct attacking forces. The Iraqi forces have been advancing so far in sparsely populated areas. On Monday morning the Iraqi army took control of the main power station which supplies electricity to Mosul’s entire western bank. This third phase of the Mosul offensive could be the last military offensive against the Islamic State in Iraq. This does not mean that the organisation is completely destroyed, they still have a strong influence on young men across the region who are ready to take up arms and fight back. The IS is also under attack in Syria on many fronts: the US-backed Arab/Kurd Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army are attacking from the north, the Syrian army is attacking from the west and both Russian and US-led coalition figher jets are bombing them. The IS' capital city in Syria, Raqqa, is still solidly under the organisation's control, but it is likely that as soon as countries involved in Syria agree to fight together, a massive offensive will start. Iraqi Rapid Response force members fire a missile towards Islamic State militants during a battle in south Mosul. (Reuters) × Up to 400,000 civilians could be displaced by the offensive as residents of western Mosul suffer food and fuel shortages and markets remain closed, United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq Lise Grande told Reuters on Saturday. Commanders expect the battle to be more difficult than in the east of the city, which Iraqi forces have taken control of last month after three months of fighting because tanks and armoured vehicles cannot pass through its narrow alleyways. Western Mosul contains the old city centre, with its ancient souks, government administrative buildings, and the mosque from which Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his self-styled caliphate over parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014. The city is the largest urban centre captured by Islamic State in both countries. The area is densely populated and it will be nearly impossible to conduct airstrikes if the coalition forces do not want to risk massive civilian casualties. One bomb missing the objective could cost hundreds of innocent lives. It is also very difficult to gather intelligence insights from the city since the Islamic State controls nearly all the communications and everyone who is found in possess of a phone carrying suspicious numbers will be executed in cold blood. Living in western Mosul during this phase of the operation is highly risky, the city's population has been bearing the brunt of the offensive since months. The Islamic State is in a full-war mode and it is ready to kill whoever tries to escape and reach the eastern area of the city, currently under Iraqi army control. The city suffers also a severe shortage of any primary necessity, from food to running water. Many of the inner streets are very small and while advancing soldiers do not always enjoy support of armoured vehicles and might even conduct operations on foot in a pure guerrilla style warfare. This makes them highly prone to deadly ambush and sniper fire - both methods that the Islamic State have used extensively during previous battles. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Baghdad on Monday on an unannounced visit but declined to offer details about US battle plans when speaking to reporters on Sunday. "The coalition forces are in support of this operation and we will continue ... with the accelerated effort to destroy ISIS," he declared. (WION wth inputs from Reuters)

Mosul under siege as Iraqi forces, Islamic State militants battle near airport

Iraqi forces launched an offensive on jihadists defending Mosul`s west bank Sunday, in what could be the most brutal fighting yet in a four-month-old operation on the city.

&quot;Our forces are beginning the liberation of the citizens from the terror of Daesh,&quot; Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a short televised speech, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

&quot;We announce the start of a new phase in the operation. We are coming, Nineveh, to liberate the western side of Mosul,&quot; he said, referring to the province of which Mosul is the capital.

Federal police and interior ministry forces were expected to start the new phase in the offensive by moving on Mosul airport, which is on the southern edge of the city, west of the Tigris River.

The jihadists have put up stiff resistance to defend Mosul, their last major stronghold in Iraq and the place where their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a &quot;caliphate&quot; in 2014.

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<h5>West Mosul had the potential certainly of being more difficult, with house-to-house fighting on a larger and more bloody scale,&#39; said Patrick Skinner, from the Soufan Group intelligence consultancy</h5>
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After shaping operations around Mosul, it took Iraq`s most seasoned forces -- the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) -- more than two months to clear the eastern side of Mosul.

After a pause in the operation launched on October 17, federal forces now face what was always billed as the toughest nut to crack: Mosul`s west bank, home to the narrow streets of the Old City.

&quot;West Mosul had the potential certainly of being more difficult, with house-to-house fighting on a larger and more bloody scale,&quot; said Patrick Skinner, from the Soufan Group intelligence consultancy.

The streets around the historical centre, which includes the mosque in which Baghdadi made his only public appearance in June 2014, will be impassable for many military vehicles and force government fighters to take on IS in perilous dismounted warfare. 
 
Prior to the offensive that saw IS seize Mosul and much of Iraq`s Sunni Arab heartland nearly three years ago, the east bank was more ethnically diverse than the west, where analysts believe the jihadists could enjoy more support.&quot;IS resistance could be greater in this area and it will be harder, but all the more important, to completely clear the networks from Mosul after its recapture,&quot; said Emily Anagnostos, Iraq analyst at the Institute for the Study of War.

While the federal forces` attrition is said to be high, IS`s had been undoubtedly higher and commanders have said the jihadists may no longer have the resources to defend east Mosul effectively.&nbsp;

Recent incidents in liberated east point to the difficulty of ensuring remnants of IS have not blended in with the civilian population in a huge city which most residents did not flee ahead of the government offensive.

Aid organisations had feared an exodus of unprecedented proportions before the start of the Mosul operation but half a million -- a significant majority -- of residents stayed home.

Their continued presence prevented both sides from resorting to deadlier weaponry, which may have slowed down the battle but averted a potentially much more serious humanitarian emergency in the middle of winter as well as more extensive material damage to the city.

&quot;Mosul is going better than we expected, but there are serious dangers ahead,&quot; Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, told AFP.

Residents of west Mosul have reported very difficult living conditions and warned that they were already low on food, with weeks of fighting expected to lie ahead.

IS fighters and Mosul residents remained able to move across both sides of the city during much of the fighting in the east but all bridges across the Tigris have now been dropped and the jihadists in the west are all but besieged.

IS has used civilians as human shields as part of its defence tactics and killed residents attempting to flee, making it both difficult and dangerous for the population to escape.

While specialised units may attempt to throw pontoon bridges across the river to attack from the east, the main initial assault of the upcoming phase in the Mosul is expected to come from the south on the city`s airport.

Army, police, interior ministry and special forces have been gearing up for the push on Mosul`s southern front, with a large concentration of fighters based out of Hammam al-Alil.&nbsp;

(AFP)

'Our forces are beginning the liberation of the citizens from the terror of Daesh,' Haider al-Abadi said in a short televised speech

Iraqi forces launched an offensive on jihadists defending Mosul`s west bank Sunday, in what could be the most brutal fighting yet in a four-month-old operation on the city. "Our forces are beginning the liberation of the citizens from the terror of Daesh," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a short televised speech, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. "We announce the start of a new phase in the operation. We are coming, Nineveh, to liberate the western side of Mosul," he said, referring to the province of which Mosul is the capital. Federal police and interior ministry forces were expected to start the new phase in the offensive by moving on Mosul airport, which is on the southern edge of the city, west of the Tigris River. The jihadists have put up stiff resistance to defend Mosul, their last major stronghold in Iraq and the place where their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in 2014. West Mosul had the potential certainly of being more difficult, with house-to-house fighting on a larger and more bloody scale,' said Patrick Skinner, from the Soufan Group intelligence consultancy × After shaping operations around Mosul, it took Iraq`s most seasoned forces -- the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) -- more than two months to clear the eastern side of Mosul. After a pause in the operation launched on October 17, federal forces now face what was always billed as the toughest nut to crack: Mosul`s west bank, home to the narrow streets of the Old City. "West Mosul had the potential certainly of being more difficult, with house-to-house fighting on a larger and more bloody scale," said Patrick Skinner, from the Soufan Group intelligence consultancy. The streets around the historical centre, which includes the mosque in which Baghdadi made his only public appearance in June 2014, will be impassable for many military vehicles and force government fighters to take on IS in perilous dismounted warfare. Prior to the offensive that saw IS seize Mosul and much of Iraq`s Sunni Arab heartland nearly three years ago, the east bank was more ethnically diverse than the west, where analysts believe the jihadists could enjoy more support."IS resistance could be greater in this area and it will be harder, but all the more important, to completely clear the networks from Mosul after its recapture," said Emily Anagnostos, Iraq analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. While the federal forces` attrition is said to be high, IS`s had been undoubtedly higher and commanders have said the jihadists may no longer have the resources to defend east Mosul effectively. Recent incidents in liberated east point to the difficulty of ensuring remnants of IS have not blended in with the civilian population in a huge city which most residents did not flee ahead of the government offensive. Aid organisations had feared an exodus of unprecedented proportions before the start of the Mosul operation but half a million -- a significant majority -- of residents stayed home. Their continued presence prevented both sides from resorting to deadlier weaponry, which may have slowed down the battle but averted a potentially much more serious humanitarian emergency in the middle of winter as well as more extensive material damage to the city. "Mosul is going better than we expected, but there are serious dangers ahead," Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, told AFP. Residents of west Mosul have reported very difficult living conditions and warned that they were already low on food, with weeks of fighting expected to lie ahead. IS fighters and Mosul residents remained able to move across both sides of the city during much of the fighting in the east but all bridges across the Tigris have now been dropped and the jihadists in the west are all but besieged. IS has used civilians as human shields as part of its defence tactics and killed residents attempting to flee, making it both difficult and dangerous for the population to escape. While specialised units may attempt to throw pontoon bridges across the river to attack from the east, the main initial assault of the upcoming phase in the Mosul is expected to come from the south on the city`s airport. Army, police, interior ministry and special forces have been gearing up for the push on Mosul`s southern front, with a large concentration of fighters based out of Hammam al-Alil. (AFP)

Iraqi forces launch operation to retake west Mosul: PM

Samira Mouaki was covering the Iraqi frontline. Daniele Pagani wishes he was writing about her in any other circumstance but this one

Algerian war reporter Samira Mouaki was grievously hurt while covering the fight against the Islamic State in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul. An Islamic State (IS) sniper shot her in the head. Samira was shot in the head by an Islamic State sniper. She was rushed to hospital in Baghdad. The doctors there say she is stable but it is still not certain how much of a recovery she will make × Samira was rushed to a hospital in Baghdad, from where the latest reports say she is out of danger but that it is still not certain how much of a recovery she will make. Tal Afar is en route to Syria and the Shiite paramilitary umbrella organisation the Al-Hashd Al-Shabi is fighting the IS there. Taking back the city from the IS means cutting off the last chance they have to flee Mosul. I had met Samira, on a sunny but chilly November dawn, while I was in Iraq. I was with two colleagues outside the Iraqi Army's 9th armoured division base, not far from Mosul. We were waiting for somebody to wake up and give us permission to visit the recently liberated ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, a major archaeological site that the IS had laid waste to a few months earlier. We were looking at this funny-looking digging machine that the IS had used to dig underground tunnels in Nimrud, when suddenly Samira popped up and greeted us. I did not immediately realise that this small, energetic Algerian woman, wearing an olive green hijab and a Go-Pro camera holder on her jacket, was a journalist. We got chatting. I saw no civilian car and so asked her how she had got there. She told us she had been sleeping on the base for a few days, to be able to follow operations more closely. I have to say I was surprised. Probably because of my "western biases" -- which I always think I have erased but which seem ready to bounce back into action whenever I am not paying attention -- meeting an Algerian woman, alone, on a military base, covering the most advanced frontline in Iraq, had an effect on me. I remember thinking: "How the hell does a woman manage to sleep alone on a base full of Iraqi soldiers, all of them men?" Well, she did and I immediately regretted my thought. If I was able to roam around Iraq alone, how on earth did I dare think a woman, just because she is a woman, could not do it? When they say destroying gender biases is a process which starts primarily with ourselves, they are absolutely correct. When they further say that the major problem lies on the men's side, they are again correct. I looked at Samira and immediately felt an enormous respect for her courage. She was on the field, no SUV, no expensive camera. She was just there, doing her job without making a fuss. I remember we spoke about her interest in Al-Hashd Al-Shabi and how, according to her, presenting the conflict through a sectarian lens was counterproductive and wrong. I did not entirely agree with her and we debated the point or at least tried to, in broken French from our side while she of course spoke the language perfectly. After some ten minutes, an Iraqi officer came, his fatigues a little messy because of his sudden and early awakening. He lit a cigarette and invited us to have tea and dates while waiting for the formalities. We said goodbye to Samira and followed the officer. Samira's condition reminds us once again how dangerous it is to be a war reporter, and that safety must always come first. Journalists who report on conflicts are highly exposed to risk. Covering the Mosul offensive is especially dangerous because it is made up mostly of unconventional guerrilla warfare fought inside cities, with the enemy using ambushes and suicide attacks. Samira obviously does know what transpired in my mind after I met her, nor perhaps does she imagine how many times I have spoken about her with many colleagues and friends. I had often thought of getting in touch with her again, maybe even writing something about her experience, something which could have helped dismantle the damaging, superficial and unfortunately common cliché of the Arab woman. Too many people too many times consider Arab women a single category of oppressed individuals subjected alternatively to men and religion whereas, exactly as it is for men, theirs is a composite and diverse universe with countless experiences of freedom and suffering, satisfaction and frustration. I wish I was writing about her under any other circumstance but this one. I hope she gets well soon.

That Algerian woman war reporter in Iraq

The Iraqi army has completed the operation to retake and secure&nbsp;Mosul University, or at least what remains of it after two years under Islamic State (IS) control. &nbsp;

It took the troops two days to complete the attack against the campus which was launched on Saturday.&nbsp;

Mosul is the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq and more than one hundred thousands troops are involved in the offensive to defeat them.&nbsp;

Retaking the university is the last of a series of successful&nbsp;blows that the Iraqi army has inflicted to the terrorist organisation in Mosul since the beginning of a second phase of the three-month long offensive at the end of December.&nbsp;

&quot;We are not stopping,&quot;&nbsp;said&nbsp;Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS), to Reuters. Their aim is to keep advancing and take control of the entire eastern part of Mosul.&nbsp;

According to the ICTS commander Sami al-Aridhi, his forces found some chemical substances that the IS allegedly used to try to manufacture weapons. The terrorist organisation has reportedly used chemical weapons in both Syria and Iraq, especially mustard gas.&nbsp;

What happened to the university is indicative of&nbsp;the cultural decline that the city suffered under the Islamic State. It was one of the largest in West Asia and the second most important in Iraq. More than 25,000 students came from all over the country to study in one of the many departments. But, there is no space for scientific culture under the obscurantist ideology of the self-proclaimed caliphate. Soon after its arrival in 2014, the IS used the university as a base and a weapons&nbsp;factory.&nbsp;

&quot;Can you believe that even people from Basra used to study there? It was an amazing university,&quot; says on the phone Emil Lallo, a young men who studied in an institute right beside the university. Basra is a city in southern Iraq, nearly one thousand kilometres from Mosul. &nbsp;

&quot;The ones who came from faraway places normally used to rent an apartment. Some of them stayed with relatives,&quot; recalls Emil.&nbsp;

When a big university is inside a city it spreads culture, it gives lifeline to the society and attracts people from different places. In the neighbourhoods close to a campus, it is common to see students buying and bargaining, eating out, having a drink and passionately discussing and debating around recently learnt topics. &nbsp;

During their university years, young students often experience for the first time what it means to live alone, to self-manage time, assignments, relations, money. This period of life is a step towards becoming adults, it teaches independence. &nbsp;

This is clearly something the Islamic State did not &ndash; and does not &ndash; appreciate.&nbsp;

&quot;The university was like a big city. When you entered it, there were roads, shops, gardens,&quot; says Emil. &nbsp;

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This is how the Islamic State left conditions at Mosul University. (WION)
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One has really to take an effort to imagine all of this when looking at pictures of the burned&nbsp;library and the destroyed and abandoned buildings. &nbsp;

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Good Morning from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mosul?src=hash">#Mosul</a> university library. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iraq?src=hash">#Iraq</a> <a href="https://t.co/nM7UfiO1hP">pic.twitter.com/nM7UfiO1hP</a>
&mdash; Iraqi Day ???? (@iraqi_day) <a href="https://twitter.com/iraqi_day/status/820829157416456197">January 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Since there were no civilians in the campus, the US-led coalition forces carried on several airstrikes to ease the on-the-ground operations.&nbsp;

Controlling the area plays a strategic role in the advance towards the Tigris&#39; eastern bank. &nbsp;

The river runs north to south, splitting Mosul into two. The Iraqi army controls almost all the eastern side and the Islamic State is isolated on the west. &nbsp;

Thanks to the experience gathered in more than two months of urban guerrilla warfare, Iraqi forces have made rapid advances since the beginning of the year. &nbsp;

Once, and if, the Iraqi army&nbsp;controls all the eastern bank, they will be able to cross the river and launch what could be the final phase of the offensive to militarily defeat the IS in Iraq.&nbsp;

(WION)

The Islamic State used the university, the second biggest in Iraq, as a base and to make weapons

The Iraqi army has completed the operation to retake and secure Mosul University, or at least what remains of it after two years under Islamic State (IS) control. It took the troops two days to complete the attack against the campus which was launched on Saturday. Mosul is the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq and more than one hundred thousands troops are involved in the offensive to defeat them. Retaking the university is the last of a series of successful blows that the Iraqi army has inflicted to the terrorist organisation in Mosul since the beginning of a second phase of the three-month long offensive at the end of December. "We are not stopping," said Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS), to Reuters. Their aim is to keep advancing and take control of the entire eastern part of Mosul. According to the ICTS commander Sami al-Aridhi, his forces found some chemical substances that the IS allegedly used to try to manufacture weapons. The terrorist organisation has reportedly used chemical weapons in both Syria and Iraq, especially mustard gas. What happened to the university is indicative of the cultural decline that the city suffered under the Islamic State. It was one of the largest in West Asia and the second most important in Iraq. More than 25,000 students came from all over the country to study in one of the many departments. But, there is no space for scientific culture under the obscurantist ideology of the self-proclaimed caliphate. Soon after its arrival in 2014, the IS used the university as a base and a weapons factory. "Can you believe that even people from Basra used to study there? It was an amazing university," says on the phone Emil Lallo, a young men who studied in an institute right beside the university. Basra is a city in southern Iraq, nearly one thousand kilometres from Mosul. "The ones who came from faraway places normally used to rent an apartment. Some of them stayed with relatives," recalls Emil. When a big university is inside a city it spreads culture, it gives lifeline to the society and attracts people from different places. In the neighbourhoods close to a campus, it is common to see students buying and bargaining, eating out, having a drink and passionately discussing and debating around recently learnt topics. During their university years, young students often experience for the first time what it means to live alone, to self-manage time, assignments, relations, money. This period of life is a step towards becoming adults, it teaches independence. This is clearly something the Islamic State did not – and does not – appreciate. "The university was like a big city. When you entered it, there were roads, shops, gardens," says Emil. This is how the Islamic State left conditions at Mosul University. (WION) × One has really to take an effort to imagine all of this when looking at pictures of the burned library and the destroyed and abandoned buildings. Good Morning from #Mosul university library. #Iraq pic.twitter.com/nM7UfiO1hP — Iraqi Day ???? (@iraqi_day) January 16, 2017 × Since there were no civilians in the campus, the US-led coalition forces carried on several airstrikes to ease the on-the-ground operations. Controlling the area plays a strategic role in the advance towards the Tigris' eastern bank. The river runs north to south, splitting Mosul into two. The Iraqi army controls almost all the eastern side and the Islamic State is isolated on the west. Thanks to the experience gathered in more than two months of urban guerrilla warfare, Iraqi forces have made rapid advances since the beginning of the year. Once, and if, the Iraqi army controls all the eastern bank, they will be able to cross the river and launch what could be the final phase of the offensive to militarily defeat the IS in Iraq. (WION)

Iraqi forces secure, retake Mosul University

Iraqi special forces have driven back Islamic State (IS) militants from the strategic Mosul University campus on Saturday and are close to capturing large areas along the Tigris river from the IS, military officials said.

Counter-Terrorism Forces (CTS) battled IS fighters at the university for the second day, gathering in the university canteen. As they unfurled a map of the area, a suspected Islamic State drone flew overhead and they shot at it, Reuters reported.

Seizing the university would be a crucial strategic gain and allow Iraqi forces to advance more quickly towards the Tigris in the city&#39;s northeast, military officials have said.

&quot;There are still clashes. We entered the university and cleared the technical institute, dentistry and antiquities departments,&quot; Lieutenant General Abdelwahab al-Saadi of the CTS told Reuters. &quot;In the coming hours it will be liberated completely,&quot; he said.

The UN says the militants seized nuclear materials used for scientific research from the university when they overran Mosul and vast areas of northern Iraq and eastern Syria in 2014.

Iraqi forces close to capturing entire east bank of Tigris: Top security official

Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, the head of Iraq&#39;s Counter Terrorism Force told state television the entire eastern bank of the Tigris &mdash; which bisects Mosul from North to South &nbsp;&mdash; would soon be under Iraqi control.

&quot;Hopefully today we will celebrate the end of Daesh,&quot; he added.

The captured territory will enable the Iraqi forces to wrest control of half of Mosul from the IS.&nbsp;

Mosul, which was captured by the IS in 2014, is the last major stronghold of the jihadists in Iraq.&nbsp;

On Friday, Iraqi forces made rapid advances in their nearly 3-month US-backed offensive to recapture Mosul.

The progress made by the troops had slowed in late November and December after they entered the city and encountered urban warfare by the IS which fought from densely-populated residential areas.

Capture of the eastern bank of the river will allow the military to begin attacks on western Mosul, which Islamic State still fully holds.&nbsp; 
 
Police retake South East riverbank

Parallel advances in the southeast of the city on Saturday, led by elite rapid response units, put Iraq&#39;s federal police in control of large areas along the river bank, a spokesman said.

&quot;The Yarimja area ... has been liberated, a large number of Daesh (Islamic State) elements were killed, and the rest fled to the right-hand side (western bank),&quot; Lieutenant Colonel Abdel Amir al-Mohammedawi told Reuters.

Forces had stopped suicide car bomb attacks by firing at them during their advance, and the federal police also captured a field hospital the militants had been using, he said.

The federal police in the area also captured a highway linking Mosul to the city of Kirkuk, to the southeast, the military said in a separate statement.

30 killed in air raid on IS militant in Mosul

An air raid targeting a senior Islamic State militant on Thursday killed up to 30 people in a western Mosul district, residents said. It was not immediately clear if the strike was carried out by Iraqi forces or the US-led coalition.

Iraq Body Count (IBC), a group run by academics and peace activists that has been counting violent deaths in the country since 2003, said 21 to 25 civilians had died that day in a strike on that area.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Security forces say they are close to recapturing the entire east bank of the Tigris, which bisects Mosul from north to south

Iraqi special forces have driven back Islamic State (IS) militants from the strategic Mosul University campus on Saturday and are close to capturing large areas along the Tigris river from the IS, military officials said. Counter-Terrorism Forces (CTS) battled IS fighters at the university for the second day, gathering in the university canteen. As they unfurled a map of the area, a suspected Islamic State drone flew overhead and they shot at it, Reuters reported. Seizing the university would be a crucial strategic gain and allow Iraqi forces to advance more quickly towards the Tigris in the city's northeast, military officials have said. "There are still clashes. We entered the university and cleared the technical institute, dentistry and antiquities departments," Lieutenant General Abdelwahab al-Saadi of the CTS told Reuters. "In the coming hours it will be liberated completely," he said. The UN says the militants seized nuclear materials used for scientific research from the university when they overran Mosul and vast areas of northern Iraq and eastern Syria in 2014. Iraqi forces close to capturing entire east bank of Tigris: Top security official Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, the head of Iraq's Counter Terrorism Force told state television the entire eastern bank of the Tigris — which bisects Mosul from North to South — would soon be under Iraqi control. "Hopefully today we will celebrate the end of Daesh," he added. The captured territory will enable the Iraqi forces to wrest control of half of Mosul from the IS. Mosul, which was captured by the IS in 2014, is the last major stronghold of the jihadists in Iraq. On Friday, Iraqi forces made rapid advances in their nearly 3-month US-backed offensive to recapture Mosul. The progress made by the troops had slowed in late November and December after they entered the city and encountered urban warfare by the IS which fought from densely-populated residential areas. Capture of the eastern bank of the river will allow the military to begin attacks on western Mosul, which Islamic State still fully holds. Police retake South East riverbank Parallel advances in the southeast of the city on Saturday, led by elite rapid response units, put Iraq's federal police in control of large areas along the river bank, a spokesman said. "The Yarimja area ... has been liberated, a large number of Daesh (Islamic State) elements were killed, and the rest fled to the right-hand side (western bank)," Lieutenant Colonel Abdel Amir al-Mohammedawi told Reuters. Forces had stopped suicide car bomb attacks by firing at them during their advance, and the federal police also captured a field hospital the militants had been using, he said. The federal police in the area also captured a highway linking Mosul to the city of Kirkuk, to the southeast, the military said in a separate statement. 30 killed in air raid on IS militant in Mosul An air raid targeting a senior Islamic State militant on Thursday killed up to 30 people in a western Mosul district, residents said. It was not immediately clear if the strike was carried out by Iraqi forces or the US-led coalition. Iraq Body Count (IBC), a group run by academics and peace activists that has been counting violent deaths in the country since 2003, said 21 to 25 civilians had died that day in a strike on that area. Reuters could not independently verify the reports. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Iraqi forces fight IS at Mosul University, close to capturing areas along Tigris

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim paid a two-day&nbsp;visit to his Iraqi counterpart Haider Al-Abadi over the weekend in the attempt to restart a dialogue after relations between the two countries worsened&nbsp;in the last few months.&nbsp;

In a joint press statement, Al-Abadi requested Turkey to gradually withdraw his troops and Yildirim confirmed the commitment.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After a round of talks, the two countries have agreed to: boost their mutual effort to fight terrorism, respect&nbsp;each side&#39;s sovereignty, join efforts in post-war reconstruction, and&nbsp;resume all the investments they stopped due to the conflict. They also signed common water management projects. &nbsp;

The two heads of state also discussed the presence of a 500-soldier&nbsp;Turkish contingent on Iraqi&nbsp;soil, which was at the root&nbsp;of the diplomatic standstill.&nbsp;

In October 2016, Turkey repeatedly insisted on deploying its soldiers for the Mosul offensive, in Iraq, claiming it was their right to fight terrorists. The Iraqi prime minister denied authorisation, pointing out that their presence on its&nbsp;soil was a violation of Iraq&#39;s sovereignty. Ankara replied to the accusation,&nbsp;saying their troops entered the country on the Kurdistan Regional Government&#39;s invitation. &nbsp;

After a tough blame game, the two countries recalled their ambassadors and relations have been frozen ever since. &nbsp;

Yildrim&#39;s visit is not only about the two countries, it is part of a larger effort his country is taking to regain its powe&nbsp;in West Asia in a moment when it risks&nbsp;becoming&nbsp;isolated and vulnerable. &nbsp;

The massive purge and the round of arrests after the failed coup d&#39;&eacute;tat in July 2016 cost&nbsp;the country much of its international support. Several terror attacks have hit&nbsp;Turkey since, killing tens of citizens. The Russian ambassador was murdered in cold blood in front of the world&#39;s eyes. Kurdish autonomist organisations resumed the fight in the southeastern provinces after a fragile ceasefire broke. Iran and Lebanon are using all their influence to send money and weapons to Shia militias fighting terrorist organisations in both Iraq and Syria, a strategic move which indirectly expands their sphere of influence. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, heavily backed by Russia, is regaining momentum and he is a man Turkey has never perceived as a plausible ally. The US is providing air support to the Kurdish People&#39;s Protection Units (YPG), an organisation Ankara&nbsp;labels&nbsp;terrorists. &nbsp;

The fear of isolation is probably&nbsp;the main reason behind Turkey&#39;s decision to send troops directly within Syrian borders to attack the Islamic State.&nbsp;

Turkey-backed militias and the country&#39;s regular troops are now fighting in the vicinity of the Syrian town of Al Bab, some 40 kilometres&nbsp;from Aleppo. &nbsp;

The country had not played an active role in Syria until&nbsp;late August 2016, when they launched operation Euphrates Shield with the aim to close and secure the last 95 kilometres&nbsp;of border still under terrorist control. Many have accused&nbsp;Turkey of not&nbsp;having&nbsp;done enough to retake such a minor part of its border, through&nbsp;which IS terrorists, weapons and oil passed for five years.

Fighting the Islamic State is not&nbsp;Turkey&#39;s only aim&nbsp;in Syria though. President Erdogan has repeatedly declared his intention to stop the activities of the US-backed Kurdish and Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who are fighting boots-on-the-ground against the IS in northern Syria. The Kurdish People Protection Units (YPG) are the backbone of the SDF forces, and Turkey is staunchly opposed&nbsp;to&nbsp;any&nbsp;semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Syria, whatever the cost.&nbsp;

This last intention will probably involve directly the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK), an organisation fighting a three-decade war against Turkey,&nbsp;now&nbsp;headquartered&nbsp;on the Qandil mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan.&nbsp;

Recovering diplomatic and economic relations with Iraq could turn out to be vital for Turkey&nbsp;to get back on track in West Asia, where Iran is currently becoming the strongest regional actor.&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Binali Yildirim's visit is part of a larger effort Turkey is taking to avoid isolation in West Asia

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim paid a two-day visit to his Iraqi counterpart Haider Al-Abadi over the weekend in the attempt to restart a dialogue after relations between the two countries worsened in the last few months. In a joint press statement, Al-Abadi requested Turkey to gradually withdraw his troops and Yildirim confirmed the commitment. After a round of talks, the two countries have agreed to: boost their mutual effort to fight terrorism, respect each side's sovereignty, join efforts in post-war reconstruction, and resume all the investments they stopped due to the conflict. They also signed common water management projects. The two heads of state also discussed the presence of a 500-soldier Turkish contingent on Iraqi soil, which was at the root of the diplomatic standstill. In October 2016, Turkey repeatedly insisted on deploying its soldiers for the Mosul offensive, in Iraq, claiming it was their right to fight terrorists. The Iraqi prime minister denied authorisation, pointing out that their presence on its soil was a violation of Iraq's sovereignty. Ankara replied to the accusation, saying their troops entered the country on the Kurdistan Regional Government's invitation. After a tough blame game, the two countries recalled their ambassadors and relations have been frozen ever since. Yildrim's visit is not only about the two countries, it is part of a larger effort his country is taking to regain its powe in West Asia in a moment when it risks becoming isolated and vulnerable. The massive purge and the round of arrests after the failed coup d'état in July 2016 cost the country much of its international support. Several terror attacks have hit Turkey since, killing tens of citizens. The Russian ambassador was murdered in cold blood in front of the world's eyes. Kurdish autonomist organisations resumed the fight in the southeastern provinces after a fragile ceasefire broke. Iran and Lebanon are using all their influence to send money and weapons to Shia militias fighting terrorist organisations in both Iraq and Syria, a strategic move which indirectly expands their sphere of influence. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, heavily backed by Russia, is regaining momentum and he is a man Turkey has never perceived as a plausible ally. The US is providing air support to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), an organisation Ankara labels terrorists. The fear of isolation is probably the main reason behind Turkey's decision to send troops directly within Syrian borders to attack the Islamic State. Turkey-backed militias and the country's regular troops are now fighting in the vicinity of the Syrian town of Al Bab, some 40 kilometres from Aleppo. The country had not played an active role in Syria until late August 2016, when they launched operation Euphrates Shield with the aim to close and secure the last 95 kilometres of border still under terrorist control. Many have accused Turkey of not having done enough to retake such a minor part of its border, through which IS terrorists, weapons and oil passed for five years. Fighting the Islamic State is not Turkey's only aim in Syria though. President Erdogan has repeatedly declared his intention to stop the activities of the US-backed Kurdish and Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who are fighting boots-on-the-ground against the IS in northern Syria. The Kurdish People Protection Units (YPG) are the backbone of the SDF forces, and Turkey is staunchly opposed to any semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Syria, whatever the cost. This last intention will probably involve directly the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK), an organisation fighting a three-decade war against Turkey, now headquartered on the Qandil mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan. Recovering diplomatic and economic relations with Iraq could turn out to be vital for Turkey to get back on track in West Asia, where Iran is currently becoming the strongest regional actor. (WION)

Turkey Prime Minister travels to Iraq to mend relations

&nbsp;

The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for two car bomb&nbsp;explosion in Baghdad on Thursday. Police and medical sources say 14 people died and at least 15 were&nbsp;injured.&nbsp;

The explosive devices were placed in cars parked on the side of the road. In an online&nbsp;statement released by the IS, the attack was targeted at the city&#39;s Shia community.&nbsp;

This new attack is part of a growing&nbsp;wave of violence that has hit Iraq&#39;s capital city since 2016. The Islamic State is carrying on several attacks in retaliation to the war the country is fighting against them alongside the US-led coalition. &nbsp;

It is an effective, deadly and unpredictable strategy as&nbsp;more than 60 people have been killed in Baghdad over the past week alone. In 2016, IS&#39; attacks killed&nbsp;more than 600 people in Baghdad and injured nearly a thousand. &nbsp;

The worst bombing happened in July last year, when shortly after midnight a truck exploded in the mainly Shia district of Karrada. The area was busy with families shopping and eating at the end of a long day of Ramzan. More than 300 people died and hundreds were injured.&nbsp;

The aggressive&nbsp;upsurge comes after&nbsp;a year of heavy losses the Islamic State faced in West&nbsp;Asia. &nbsp;

In Iraq IS&nbsp;remains in control of the sole western part of Mosul, once their stronghold and de facto capital. The battle to retake the city is ongoing; the Iraqi army is fighting an urban guerrilla warfare which has resulted in heavy casualties, but the Islamic State is almost completely isolated and is unlikely hold Mosul for very long.&nbsp;

Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, Iraq&#39;s joint operation commander, said that the country&#39;s army now controls nearly 70 per cent of Mosul&#39;s eastern part.&nbsp;

The Islamic State has been deprived of all the oil fields it used to control in Iraq, a major blow to its&nbsp;finances which has severely dented its&nbsp;military capabilities. In an interview released to WION, Iraqi Major General Najim Abdullah al-Jubouri, commander of the Niniveh&nbsp;operation, said that the IS funded many of its activities, even in neighbouring countries, by selling Iraqi oil.&nbsp;

The terrorist organisation is stronger in Syria, but it is suffering daily defeats due to a successful on-the-ground advance by Arabs and Kurds fighting within the ranks of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The US has been&nbsp;providing air support aimed at&nbsp;retaking&nbsp;the city of Raqqa, the self-proclaimed&nbsp;capital of the caliphate. Turkish troops and Ankara-backed armed groups have been involved in the campaign for the last six months. &nbsp;

The anti-Islamic State offensive in Syria is still at the initial stage and it will probably take several months before the city of Raqqa can be directly attacked. &nbsp;

Islamic State terrorism has morphed from an Iraqi and Syrian&nbsp;&#39;problem&#39; into a&nbsp;global security menace. Turkey has recently become the prime&nbsp;target for elements inspired by the group&#39;s propaganda. Many of the terrorist acts&nbsp;carried out in Europe and Asia have been the brainchildren of &#39;lone wolves&#39; or small groups, radical&nbsp;elements who have been inspired by carefully manipulated IS video propaganda, responsible for carrying out deadly attacks across Europe recently. &nbsp;

Islamic state may resort to sudden attacks as twin strategy to not only survive but also to spread terror. The organisation is under attack in its strongholds and the only way it can hit the enemy is a possible surprise attack, not only in Iraq &amp; Syria but anywhere in Europe. This will primarily &#39;divert&#39; the focal point of the conflict and will force the enemy to divide its forces giving it much-needed breathing space&nbsp;in its war in West Asia. &nbsp;

(WION with input from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Police and medical sources say 14 people died and at least 15 were injured in the attack meant to hit the city's Shia community

The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for two car bomb explosion in Baghdad on Thursday. Police and medical sources say 14 people died and at least 15 were injured. The explosive devices were placed in cars parked on the side of the road. In an online statement released by the IS, the attack was targeted at the city's Shia community. This new attack is part of a growing wave of violence that has hit Iraq's capital city since 2016. The Islamic State is carrying on several attacks in retaliation to the war the country is fighting against them alongside the US-led coalition. It is an effective, deadly and unpredictable strategy as more than 60 people have been killed in Baghdad over the past week alone. In 2016, IS' attacks killed more than 600 people in Baghdad and injured nearly a thousand. The worst bombing happened in July last year, when shortly after midnight a truck exploded in the mainly Shia district of Karrada. The area was busy with families shopping and eating at the end of a long day of Ramzan. More than 300 people died and hundreds were injured. The aggressive upsurge comes after a year of heavy losses the Islamic State faced in West Asia. In Iraq IS remains in control of the sole western part of Mosul, once their stronghold and de facto capital. The battle to retake the city is ongoing; the Iraqi army is fighting an urban guerrilla warfare which has resulted in heavy casualties, but the Islamic State is almost completely isolated and is unlikely hold Mosul for very long. Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, Iraq's joint operation commander, said that the country's army now controls nearly 70 per cent of Mosul's eastern part. The Islamic State has been deprived of all the oil fields it used to control in Iraq, a major blow to its finances which has severely dented its military capabilities. In an interview released to WION, Iraqi Major General Najim Abdullah al-Jubouri, commander of the Niniveh operation, said that the IS funded many of its activities, even in neighbouring countries, by selling Iraqi oil. The terrorist organisation is stronger in Syria, but it is suffering daily defeats due to a successful on-the-ground advance by Arabs and Kurds fighting within the ranks of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The US has been providing air support aimed at retaking the city of Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of the caliphate. Turkish troops and Ankara-backed armed groups have been involved in the campaign for the last six months. The anti-Islamic State offensive in Syria is still at the initial stage and it will probably take several months before the city of Raqqa can be directly attacked. Islamic State terrorism has morphed from an Iraqi and Syrian 'problem' into a global security menace. Turkey has recently become the prime target for elements inspired by the group's propaganda. Many of the terrorist acts carried out in Europe and Asia have been the brainchildren of 'lone wolves' or small groups, radical elements who have been inspired by carefully manipulated IS video propaganda, responsible for carrying out deadly attacks across Europe recently. Islamic state may resort to sudden attacks as twin strategy to not only survive but also to spread terror. The organisation is under attack in its strongholds and the only way it can hit the enemy is a possible surprise attack, not only in Iraq & Syria but anywhere in Europe. This will primarily 'divert' the focal point of the conflict and will force the enemy to divide its forces giving it much-needed breathing space in its war in West Asia. (WION with input from agencies)

Islamic State claims responsibility for car bomb attack in Baghdad

The number of US military advisors deployed on the Mosul frontline will double to 450. Iraqi regular forces are currently fighting an urban guerrilla war&nbsp;to drive out the Islamic State from their&nbsp;last stronghold in Iraq.&nbsp;

A US-led coalition is supporting the offensive with airstrikes, heavy artillery firing, strategic advices and on-the-ground coordination.

&quot;We have increased the number of advise and assist forces that are there with the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) command elements to help advise them as they move forward and to synchronise operations,&quot; coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said in a video conference from Baghdad.

Dorian said the decision was taken in order to &quot;accelerate the advance of the Iraqi security forces&quot;.

Iraqi forces entered Mosul two months ago and are currently engaged in a slow advance made of street-to-street battle, ambushes and unconventional warfare.&nbsp;

&quot;There are more than 200,000 buildings in Mosul and...you end up having to clear each one,&quot; Colonel Dorrian said.&nbsp;

&quot;And that goes from rooftop level, often in four-storey or higher buildings, through every single room, and every single closet, and into tunnels that have been dug between these buildings, and sometimes beneath them,&quot; he added. &quot;It&#39;s going to take time. It&#39;s going to be extraordinarily dangerous.&quot;

It will most likely take months before the city could be judged secure and free from all military Islamic State presence.

The US Army has a total of approximately 5,000 military personnel deployed in Iraq. Troops are not only advising and training, but also directly participating in the offensive.

The Mosul offensive is taking a high toll from civilians who are still living within the city walls. From the beginning of the offensive more than 125,000 Iraqis have been displaced, according to the United Nations.&nbsp;

A senior commander from the elite Counter-Terrorism Service said on Sunday that Iraqi forces now control&nbsp;more than 60 per cent of Mosul&#39;s eastern half.

The battle is nowhere near over,&nbsp;though. The entire western part of the city&nbsp;is still in the hands of Islamic State terrorists, whose numbers remain&nbsp;unknown.&nbsp;It could take months before the city is&nbsp;completely cleared and gets back on track.

(With inputs from AFP)

&nbsp;

The newly deployed US military personnel will help coordinate Iraqi forces in Mosul fighting against the Islamic State

The number of US military advisors deployed on the Mosul frontline will double to 450. Iraqi regular forces are currently fighting an urban guerrilla war to drive out the Islamic State from their last stronghold in Iraq. A US-led coalition is supporting the offensive with airstrikes, heavy artillery firing, strategic advices and on-the-ground coordination. "We have increased the number of advise and assist forces that are there with the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) command elements to help advise them as they move forward and to synchronise operations," coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said in a video conference from Baghdad. Dorian said the decision was taken in order to "accelerate the advance of the Iraqi security forces". Iraqi forces entered Mosul two months ago and are currently engaged in a slow advance made of street-to-street battle, ambushes and unconventional warfare. "There are more than 200,000 buildings in Mosul and...you end up having to clear each one," Colonel Dorrian said. "And that goes from rooftop level, often in four-storey or higher buildings, through every single room, and every single closet, and into tunnels that have been dug between these buildings, and sometimes beneath them," he added. "It's going to take time. It's going to be extraordinarily dangerous." It will most likely take months before the city could be judged secure and free from all military Islamic State presence. The US Army has a total of approximately 5,000 military personnel deployed in Iraq. Troops are not only advising and training, but also directly participating in the offensive. The Mosul offensive is taking a high toll from civilians who are still living within the city walls. From the beginning of the offensive more than 125,000 Iraqis have been displaced, according to the United Nations. A senior commander from the elite Counter-Terrorism Service said on Sunday that Iraqi forces now control more than 60 per cent of Mosul's eastern half. The battle is nowhere near over, though. The entire western part of the city is still in the hands of Islamic State terrorists, whose numbers remain unknown. It could take months before the city is completely cleared and gets back on track. (With inputs from AFP)

US doubles military advisers in Iraq

The commander of the US-led coalition in Iraq has said that the ongoing campaign against the Islamic State militants in Mosul has gained momentum.

US army Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend has also said that the coordination between the Iraqi army and the security forces was largely absent in the first two months of the campaign, Reuters reported.

Lack of coordination between the Iraq army and the security forces was one of the reason that the campaign had stalled last month.

A decisive victory in Mosul will be the final nail in the coffin for the so-called Islamic Caliphate.

(WION with inputs from Reuters) &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Lack of coordination between Iraq army and Security forces was one reason for the pause

The commander of the US-led coalition in Iraq has said that the ongoing campaign against the Islamic State militants in Mosul has gained momentum. US army Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend has also said that the coordination between the Iraqi army and the security forces was largely absent in the first two months of the campaign, Reuters reported. Lack of coordination between the Iraq army and the security forces was one of the reason that the campaign had stalled last month. A decisive victory in Mosul will be the final nail in the coffin for the so-called Islamic Caliphate. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Campaign against IS gaining momentum in Mosul, says senior US army commander

After a strategic break meant to&nbsp;relieve troops after&nbsp;two months of intense&nbsp;urban guerrilla warfare, Iraqi forces launched a new wave of attacks to retake Mosul, the last stronghold&nbsp;and the de facto capital city of&nbsp;the Islamic State in Iraq.&nbsp;

The Iraqi army is now conducting a multi-axis advance, and according to the US Department of Defense two new fronts have been opened to increase pressure on the terrorists still fighting in the city.&nbsp;

Pentagon sources told CNN they have no reason to think that&nbsp;IS leader Abu Bakhr al-Baghdadi is dead.&nbsp;The reward for information leading to his capture is now at $25 million.

&nbsp;

Humanitarian challenges

The major challenge in the Mosul offensive is the presence of many civilians within the city. There are no official figures on the current situation, but before the offensive begun the population was believed to be close to one million.&nbsp;

When wars are fought in highly and densely populated cities, citizens are forcibly and heavily involved in the conflict: A&nbsp;mortar can fall on their house any moment, a flying bullet can hit them, a car bomb or a rudimentary explosive device can explode in front of them without notice. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 3,125 civilians have been injured in Mosul since the army entered the city in early&nbsp;November. That&#39;s a rate of about&nbsp;approximately 50 persons per day.&nbsp;

As the Iraqi army advances, more and more citizens decide to&nbsp;leave their home. The new round of attacks caused an increase in the number of people fleeing with as many as 13,000&nbsp;running away in the first days. &nbsp;

Since&nbsp;the offensive started on October 17, the <a href="http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Situation%20Report_14_Mosul%20final.pdf">United Nation says</a>&nbsp;that as many as 125,569 civilians have abandoned their home. The majority of them&nbsp;now live&nbsp;in the many refugee camps in northern Iraq, where a severe winter hits hard. The region sees temperatures which easily drop below zero during the night.&nbsp;

Some Iraqis who fled war&nbsp;are slowly deciding to go back as soon as their neighbourhoods&nbsp;are declared safe. The OCHA says that as many 14,000 people have currently returned.

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&nbsp;

A fundamental part of the Mosul offensive is dictated&nbsp;by the five bridges that cross&nbsp;the Tigris river,&nbsp;connecting the eastern and the western parts of the city. The bridges are&nbsp;the only way terrorists have to move between the two sides and partially escape isolation. All major roads from and to the city are in fact cut off by troops, so&nbsp;the only possibility for them to fight is to move within Mosul and organise as many ambushes as possible. Between December 26&nbsp;and 27, at the request of the Iraqi army, US-led coalition forces disabled three bridges.&nbsp;

While this is militarily significant, it is also&nbsp;concerning for all those&nbsp;living&nbsp;in&nbsp;western Mosul, now suffering complete isolation. No humanitarian agency has access to the area.&nbsp;

OCHA reports that due to scarcity of food, prices are skyrocketing and many &quot;water boreholes in the eastern part of the city are drying up or turning brackish from overuse&quot;.&nbsp;

The Mosul humanitarian emergency adds a problem to a country already devastated by more than ten years of conflict, from the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein to the current fight against the Islamic State.

In 2016 alone,&nbsp;war has left 6,878 Iraqis dead, according to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq.

That&#39;s nearly one life per hour.

While the Iraqi army is achieving moderate gains against IS, no matter how well they fight, destruction and death is inevitable.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Some Iraqis who fled?are slowly deciding to go back to their neighbourhoods, but in 2016 war has left 6,878 Iraqis dead

After a strategic break meant to relieve troops after two months of intense urban guerrilla warfare, Iraqi forces launched a new wave of attacks to retake Mosul, the last stronghold and the de facto capital city of the Islamic State in Iraq. The Iraqi army is now conducting a multi-axis advance, and according to the US Department of Defense two new fronts have been opened to increase pressure on the terrorists still fighting in the city. Pentagon sources told CNN they have no reason to think that IS leader Abu Bakhr al-Baghdadi is dead. The reward for information leading to his capture is now at $25 million. Humanitarian challenges The major challenge in the Mosul offensive is the presence of many civilians within the city. There are no official figures on the current situation, but before the offensive begun the population was believed to be close to one million. When wars are fought in highly and densely populated cities, citizens are forcibly and heavily involved in the conflict: A mortar can fall on their house any moment, a flying bullet can hit them, a car bomb or a rudimentary explosive device can explode in front of them without notice. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 3,125 civilians have been injured in Mosul since the army entered the city in early November. That's a rate of about approximately 50 persons per day. As the Iraqi army advances, more and more citizens decide to leave their home. The new round of attacks caused an increase in the number of people fleeing with as many as 13,000 running away in the first days. Since the offensive started on October 17, the United Nation says that as many as 125,569 civilians have abandoned their home. The majority of them now live in the many refugee camps in northern Iraq, where a severe winter hits hard. The region sees temperatures which easily drop below zero during the night. Some Iraqis who fled war are slowly deciding to go back as soon as their neighbourhoods are declared safe. The OCHA says that as many 14,000 people have currently returned. When wars are fought in highly and densely populated cities, citizens are forcibly and heavily involved in the conflict: A mortar can fall on their house any moment, a flying bullet can hit them, a car bomb or a rudimentary explosive device can explode in front of them without notice. × A fundamental part of the Mosul offensive is dictated by the five bridges that cross the Tigris river, connecting the eastern and the western parts of the city. The bridges are the only way terrorists have to move between the two sides and partially escape isolation. All major roads from and to the city are in fact cut off by troops, so the only possibility for them to fight is to move within Mosul and organise as many ambushes as possible. Between December 26 and 27, at the request of the Iraqi army, US-led coalition forces disabled three bridges. While this is militarily significant, it is also concerning for all those living in western Mosul, now suffering complete isolation. No humanitarian agency has access to the area. OCHA reports that due to scarcity of food, prices are skyrocketing and many "water boreholes in the eastern part of the city are drying up or turning brackish from overuse". The Mosul humanitarian emergency adds a problem to a country already devastated by more than ten years of conflict, from the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein to the current fight against the Islamic State. In 2016 alone, war has left 6,878 Iraqis dead, according to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq. That's nearly one life per hour. While the Iraqi army is achieving moderate gains against IS, no matter how well they fight, destruction and death is inevitable. (WION)

Mosul's humanitarian crisis continues as Iraqi forces fight IS

An artillery strike by the US-led coalition in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul struck a mortar position next to two empty school buildings that Islamic State had been using to target Iraqi security forces, the US&nbsp;military said on Sunday.

No civilians were in the area and minimal damage was reported to the buildings, the Combined Joint Strike Force said in a statement. Schools, like hospitals and mosques, are protected under international law.

&quot;While the Coalition takes extraordinary effort to protect civilians and strike appropriate military targets, we will continue to strike ISIL wherever and whenever our partner`s lives are in danger in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict,&quot; it said, using an acronym for Islamic State.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

No civilians were in the area and minimal damage was reported to the buildings, the Combined Joint Strike Force said in a statement

An artillery strike by the US-led coalition in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul struck a mortar position next to two empty school buildings that Islamic State had been using to target Iraqi security forces, the US military said on Sunday. No civilians were in the area and minimal damage was reported to the buildings, the Combined Joint Strike Force said in a statement. Schools, like hospitals and mosques, are protected under international law. "While the Coalition takes extraordinary effort to protect civilians and strike appropriate military targets, we will continue to strike ISIL wherever and whenever our partner`s lives are in danger in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict," it said, using an acronym for Islamic State. (Reuters)

US-led coalition strikes Islamic State mortar position

Islamic State attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday, killing seven policemen as government forces in the north made more gains against the militants in Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

The Najaf attack, which involved gunmen and a suicide car bomb, followed blasts a day earlier in Baghdad that left 29 people dead, a reminder of Islamic State&#39;s continued ability to operate away from territory under its control.

The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for the group&#39;s self-styled caliphate in it areas seised in 2014, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.

Since the US-backed offensive began on October&nbsp;17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the group would be driven out of the country by April.

The second phase of the campaign launched on Thursday following weeks of deadlock has pushed Islamic State out of several more areas despite fierce resistance.

The fourth day of the renewed push saw incremental advances on the eastern and southeastern fronts.

A military statement said the counter-terrorism forces had retaken part of Karama district. A federal police officer said Iraqi forces had taken near total control of Intisar and Siha neighbourhoods, and were clearing Salam.

&quot;For the fourth day in a row, federal police units supported by the army are on the offensive,&quot; he told Reuters at a forward base in Intisar.

The attack near Najaf, 500 kilometres&nbsp;south of Mosul, happened when two vehicles travelling through the desert were stopped at a police checkpoint around al-Qadisiya town, local police sources said. The driver detonated an explosive load and the second vehicle fled. Police pursued it and killed the two militants inside.

In a statement distributed online by supporters, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded 17 people including civilians. It said four gunmen had opened fire before detonating explosive vests and then a fifth assailant launched a suicide car bomb. It was not immediately possible to reconcile those accounts.

&nbsp;

Fleeing Civilians

Although the militants are vastly outnumbered in Mosul, they have embedded themselves among residents, hindering Iraqi forces who are trying to avoid civilian casualties. Despite food and water shortages, most civilians have stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as had been expected.

Thousands more people have fled their homes since the military&#39;s new push began, many under the cover of darkness to avoid detection by Islamic State. Families leaving Mithaq district on Sunday had to climb over earthen berms the military has built across roads to block car bombs.

One resident reached by phone in eastern Mosul said he had never seen such heavy bombardment. Several civilians were wounded when a mortar fell in his street, but they could not be ferried to the hospital on the western side of the city because air strikes have taken all the bridges out of service.

&quot;One of them is my friend. His stomach is bleeding badly. We found a doctor in the neighbourhood to treat him but I fear he will die if he stays like this for long,&quot; he said.

A resident of Karama district said Islamic State had begun forcing residents out of some areas, burning the cars of residents who refused to move. &quot;They want to clear out the neighbourhood before the Iraqi forces enter,&quot; he said.

(Reuters)

The attack came in the southern city of Najaf, as government forces make gains against IS in Mosul, the group's last stronghold in Iraq

Islamic State attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday, killing seven policemen as government forces in the north made more gains against the militants in Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country. The Najaf attack, which involved gunmen and a suicide car bomb, followed blasts a day earlier in Baghdad that left 29 people dead, a reminder of Islamic State's continued ability to operate away from territory under its control. The recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for the group's self-styled caliphate in it areas seised in 2014, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West. Since the US-backed offensive began on October 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the group would be driven out of the country by April. The second phase of the campaign launched on Thursday following weeks of deadlock has pushed Islamic State out of several more areas despite fierce resistance. The fourth day of the renewed push saw incremental advances on the eastern and southeastern fronts. A military statement said the counter-terrorism forces had retaken part of Karama district. A federal police officer said Iraqi forces had taken near total control of Intisar and Siha neighbourhoods, and were clearing Salam. "For the fourth day in a row, federal police units supported by the army are on the offensive," he told Reuters at a forward base in Intisar. The attack near Najaf, 500 kilometres south of Mosul, happened when two vehicles travelling through the desert were stopped at a police checkpoint around al-Qadisiya town, local police sources said. The driver detonated an explosive load and the second vehicle fled. Police pursued it and killed the two militants inside. In a statement distributed online by supporters, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded 17 people including civilians. It said four gunmen had opened fire before detonating explosive vests and then a fifth assailant launched a suicide car bomb. It was not immediately possible to reconcile those accounts. Fleeing Civilians Although the militants are vastly outnumbered in Mosul, they have embedded themselves among residents, hindering Iraqi forces who are trying to avoid civilian casualties. Despite food and water shortages, most civilians have stayed in their homes rather than fleeing as had been expected. Thousands more people have fled their homes since the military's new push began, many under the cover of darkness to avoid detection by Islamic State. Families leaving Mithaq district on Sunday had to climb over earthen berms the military has built across roads to block car bombs. One resident reached by phone in eastern Mosul said he had never seen such heavy bombardment. Several civilians were wounded when a mortar fell in his street, but they could not be ferried to the hospital on the western side of the city because air strikes have taken all the bridges out of service. "One of them is my friend. His stomach is bleeding badly. We found a doctor in the neighbourhood to treat him but I fear he will die if he stays like this for long," he said. A resident of Karama district said Islamic State had begun forcing residents out of some areas, burning the cars of residents who refused to move. "They want to clear out the neighbourhood before the Iraqi forces enter," he said. (Reuters)

Islamic State attacks Iraqi police; 7 dead, 17 wounded

The Pentagon said on Friday it believes that Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is indeed alive, despite repeated efforts by the US-led coalition to take out the jihadist group leader.

Baghdadi has kept a low profile, despite having declared himself the leader of a renewed Muslim caliphate, but last month released a defiant audio message urging his supporters to defend the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

It is not clear if he is in the besieged city, where he declared his caliphate in 2014 after the IS group seized territory covering much of eastern Syria and northern Iraq.

&quot;We do think Baghdadi is alive and is still leading ISIL and we are obviously doing everything we can to track his movements,&quot; Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told CNN.

&quot;If we get the opportunity, we certainly would take advantage of any opportunity to deliver him the justice he deserves,&quot; he said.

&quot;We&#39;re doing everything we can. This is something we&#39;re spending a lot of time on.&quot;

In mid-December, the United States more than doubled the bounty on the shadowy IS leader&#39;s head to $25 million.

The group has only released one video of Baghdadi, showing a man with a black and grey beard wearing a black robe and matching turban, dating back to 2014.

Cook suggested that Baghdadi is isolated because coalition raids have killed many IS leaders.

&quot;He&#39;s having a hard time finding advisers and confidants to speak with because a lot of them are no longer with us,&quot; the spokesman said.

According to an official Iraqi government document, Baghdadi was born in Samarra in 1971. He apparently joined the insurgency that erupted after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and spent time in an American military prison.

(AFP)

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last month released an audio message urging his supporters to defend the Iraqi city of Mosul

The Pentagon said on Friday it believes that Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is indeed alive, despite repeated efforts by the US-led coalition to take out the jihadist group leader. Baghdadi has kept a low profile, despite having declared himself the leader of a renewed Muslim caliphate, but last month released a defiant audio message urging his supporters to defend the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. It is not clear if he is in the besieged city, where he declared his caliphate in 2014 after the IS group seized territory covering much of eastern Syria and northern Iraq. "We do think Baghdadi is alive and is still leading ISIL and we are obviously doing everything we can to track his movements," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told CNN. "If we get the opportunity, we certainly would take advantage of any opportunity to deliver him the justice he deserves," he said. "We're doing everything we can. This is something we're spending a lot of time on." In mid-December, the United States more than doubled the bounty on the shadowy IS leader's head to $25 million. The group has only released one video of Baghdadi, showing a man with a black and grey beard wearing a black robe and matching turban, dating back to 2014. Cook suggested that Baghdadi is isolated because coalition raids have killed many IS leaders. "He's having a hard time finding advisers and confidants to speak with because a lot of them are no longer with us," the spokesman said. According to an official Iraqi government document, Baghdadi was born in Samarra in 1971. He apparently joined the insurgency that erupted after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and spent time in an American military prison. (AFP)

Islamic State leader alive, still leading: US

Iraqi forces will resume their push against Islamic State inside Mosul in the coming days, a US&nbsp;battlefield commander said, in a new phase of the two-month-old operation that will see American troops deployed closer to the front line in the city.

The battle for Mosul, involving 100,000 Iraqi troops, members of the Kurdish security forces and Shi&#39;ite militiamen, is the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003. The upcoming phase appears likely to give American troops their biggest combat role since they fulfilled President Barack Obama&#39;s pledge to withdraw from Iraq in 2011.

Elite Iraqi soldiers have retaken a quarter of Mosul, the jihadists&#39; last major stronghold in Iraq, but their advance has been slow and punishing. They entered a planned &quot;operational refit&quot; this month, the first significant pause of the campaign.

A heavily armoured unit of several thousand federal police was redeployed from the southern outskirts two weeks ago to reinforce the eastern front after army units advised by the Americans suffered heavy losses in an Islamic State counter-attack.

US&nbsp;advisers, part of an international coalition that has conducted thousands of air strikes and trained tens of thousands of Iraqi ground troops, will work directly with those forces and an elite Interior Ministry strike force.

&quot;Right now we&#39;re staging really for the next phase of the attack as we start the penetration into the interior of east Mosul,&quot; Lieutenant Colonel Stuart James, commander of a combat arms battalion assisting Iraqi security forces on the southeastern front, said in a Reuters interview late on Sunday.

&quot;So right now, positioning forces and positioning men and equipment into the interior of east Mosul...it&#39;s going to happen in the next several days.&quot;

That will put US&nbsp;troops inside of Mosul proper and at greater risk, though James said the danger level was still characterised as &quot;moderate&quot;. Three US&nbsp;servicemen have been killed in northern Iraq in the past 15 months.

James, speaking from an austere outpost east of Mosul where several hundred US&nbsp;troops are stationed, said the pace of the upcoming phase on the eastern side would depend on resistance from Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh.

&quot;If we achieve great success on the first day and we gain momentum, then it may go very quickly. If Daesh fights very hard the first day and we run into a roadblock and we have to go back and go OK that was not the correct point of penetration, it may take longer,&quot; he said.

&nbsp;

Integration

Further integration with the Iraqi troops - to what commanders described as an unprecedented level for conventional US&nbsp;forces - will help synchronise surveillance, air support and force movement, according to James.

&quot;It increases our situational understanding. The man on the ground knows what&#39;s going on best,&quot; he said. &quot;It&#39;s just better when they&#39;re on the ground talking to each other and saying, &#39;Hey, have you looked at that area over there? That&#39;s decisive terrain. Have you thought about putting forces there?&#39;&quot;

Mosul, the largest city held by Islamic State anywhere across its once vast territorial holdings in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, has been held by the group since its fighters drove the US-trained army out in June 2014.

Its fall would probably end Islamic State&#39;s ambition to rule over millions of people in a self-styled caliphate, but the fighters could still mount a traditional insurgency in Iraq, and plot or inspire attacks on the West.

A multi-ethnic city where up to 1.5 million people of a pre-war population of around two&nbsp;million are still thought to be living, Mosul is divided roughly in half by the Tigris River. The western section, which Iraqi forces have yet to penetrate, has built-up markets and ancient narrow alleyways which will complicate future advances.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had said he would win Mosul back by the end of this year, a deadline now certain to be missed. His commanders say their advance was held up by the need to protect civilians, fewer of whom fled than initially expected.

Inclement weather has repeatedly delayed ground advances which rely heavily on aerial surveillance and air strikes.

(Reuters)

Mosul's fall would probably end Islamic State's ambition to rule over millions of people in a self-styled caliphate

Iraqi forces will resume their push against Islamic State inside Mosul in the coming days, a US battlefield commander said, in a new phase of the two-month-old operation that will see American troops deployed closer to the front line in the city. The battle for Mosul, involving 100,000 Iraqi troops, members of the Kurdish security forces and Shi'ite militiamen, is the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003. The upcoming phase appears likely to give American troops their biggest combat role since they fulfilled President Barack Obama's pledge to withdraw from Iraq in 2011. Elite Iraqi soldiers have retaken a quarter of Mosul, the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq, but their advance has been slow and punishing. They entered a planned "operational refit" this month, the first significant pause of the campaign. A heavily armoured unit of several thousand federal police was redeployed from the southern outskirts two weeks ago to reinforce the eastern front after army units advised by the Americans suffered heavy losses in an Islamic State counter-attack. US advisers, part of an international coalition that has conducted thousands of air strikes and trained tens of thousands of Iraqi ground troops, will work directly with those forces and an elite Interior Ministry strike force. "Right now we're staging really for the next phase of the attack as we start the penetration into the interior of east Mosul," Lieutenant Colonel Stuart James, commander of a combat arms battalion assisting Iraqi security forces on the southeastern front, said in a Reuters interview late on Sunday. "So right now, positioning forces and positioning men and equipment into the interior of east Mosul...it's going to happen in the next several days." That will put US troops inside of Mosul proper and at greater risk, though James said the danger level was still characterised as "moderate". Three US servicemen have been killed in northern Iraq in the past 15 months. James, speaking from an austere outpost east of Mosul where several hundred US troops are stationed, said the pace of the upcoming phase on the eastern side would depend on resistance from Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh. "If we achieve great success on the first day and we gain momentum, then it may go very quickly. If Daesh fights very hard the first day and we run into a roadblock and we have to go back and go OK that was not the correct point of penetration, it may take longer," he said. Integration Further integration with the Iraqi troops - to what commanders described as an unprecedented level for conventional US forces - will help synchronise surveillance, air support and force movement, according to James. "It increases our situational understanding. The man on the ground knows what's going on best," he said. "It's just better when they're on the ground talking to each other and saying, 'Hey, have you looked at that area over there? That's decisive terrain. Have you thought about putting forces there?'" Mosul, the largest city held by Islamic State anywhere across its once vast territorial holdings in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, has been held by the group since its fighters drove the US-trained army out in June 2014. Its fall would probably end Islamic State's ambition to rule over millions of people in a self-styled caliphate, but the fighters could still mount a traditional insurgency in Iraq, and plot or inspire attacks on the West. A multi-ethnic city where up to 1.5 million people of a pre-war population of around two million are still thought to be living, Mosul is divided roughly in half by the Tigris River. The western section, which Iraqi forces have yet to penetrate, has built-up markets and ancient narrow alleyways which will complicate future advances. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had said he would win Mosul back by the end of this year, a deadline now certain to be missed. His commanders say their advance was held up by the need to protect civilians, fewer of whom fled than initially expected. Inclement weather has repeatedly delayed ground advances which rely heavily on aerial surveillance and air strikes. (Reuters)

Iraqi forces to advance on IS in east Mosul within days: US commander

The Islamic State group is &quot;indiscriminately&quot; attacking civilians who refused to retreat along with the jihadists in the Iraqi city of Mosul, Human Rights Watch said&nbsp;on Wednesday.

Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake the last IS-held city in Iraq more than two months ago, and have pushed the jihadists out of several neighbourhoods on Mosul&#39;s eastern side.

&quot;Fighters with the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) have indiscriminately attacked civilian areas in eastern Mosul with mortar rounds and explosives, and deliberately shot at fleeing residents,&quot; HRW said.

&quot;Residents said ISIS members told them in person, by radio, and over mosque loudspeakers that those who stayed behind were &#39;unbelievers&#39; and therefore valid targets along with the Iraqi and coalition forces,&quot; the rights group said.

But Iraqi and US-led coalition forces seeking to oust IS from Mosul are also responsible for endangering civilians, HRW said.

Some IS attacks occurred in places &quot;where Iraqi military forces had positioned soldiers inside homes or on residential rooftops in densely populated areas,&quot; it said.

And five witnesses described three separate strikes carried out by either Iraq or the coalition that targeted IS fighters but also killed civilians, HRW said.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad beginning in June 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition and Iran have since regained much of the territory they had lost.

(AFP)

The human rights body said Islamic State 'indiscriminately' attacked civilians with explosives and mortar rounds in east Mosul

The Islamic State group is "indiscriminately" attacking civilians who refused to retreat along with the jihadists in the Iraqi city of Mosul, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake the last IS-held city in Iraq more than two months ago, and have pushed the jihadists out of several neighbourhoods on Mosul's eastern side. "Fighters with the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) have indiscriminately attacked civilian areas in eastern Mosul with mortar rounds and explosives, and deliberately shot at fleeing residents," HRW said. "Residents said ISIS members told them in person, by radio, and over mosque loudspeakers that those who stayed behind were 'unbelievers' and therefore valid targets along with the Iraqi and coalition forces," the rights group said. But Iraqi and US-led coalition forces seeking to oust IS from Mosul are also responsible for endangering civilians, HRW said. Some IS attacks occurred in places "where Iraqi military forces had positioned soldiers inside homes or on residential rooftops in densely populated areas," it said. And five witnesses described three separate strikes carried out by either Iraq or the coalition that targeted IS fighters but also killed civilians, HRW said. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad beginning in June 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition and Iran have since regained much of the territory they had lost. (AFP)

IS targets 'unbelieving' civilians in Mosul: Human Rights Watch

Factories churning out tens of thousands of munitions and an entire street turned into a conveyor belt for car bombs: advances by Iraqi forces around Mosul have laid bare the scale of the Islamic State group&#39;s arms industry.

In the more than two years since it seized control over swathes of the country, IS established a sprawling and highly organised system that experts say no other insurgent group has matched.

The capability has seriously boosted the threat from the group as it battles ferociously to cling to territory in Iraq and Syria -- and the fresh intelligence could now prove vital in countering its plots to carry out attacks on the West.

Iraqi army deminer Hashim Ali picked his way carefully through the rubble as he explained how IS transformed Mart Shmony street in Qaraqosh, some 16 kilometres (10 miles) southeast of Mosul, into a production line of death after seizing the town in 2014 and forcing the mainly Christian population to flee.

Once it was a bustling thoroughfare of car workshops and stores selling Turkish furniture, but for the jihadists it offered all they needed to make the armoured car bombs they use to blow up civilians and slow advancing Iraqi troops.

In one building they stripped the vehicles, in the neighbouring one they cut the metal plates for armour. A few doors down they made the explosives. Just up the road they loaded the bombs into the car.

&quot;These people are not stupid, they are very well organised,&quot; Ali told AFP. &quot;If you give them more time then they always find ways to surprise you.&quot;

Nearby the remnants of a pickup truck with a metal plate welded to its front stood inside a former furniture shop devastated by an air strike from the US-led coalition backing Iraqi troops.

In towns, villages and districts retaken from IS the pattern was repeated.

AFP visited a number of sites where the group cannibalised existing infrastructure to create their own improvised arms factories.

In a former cement plant in the town of Areej the lathes in a cavernous hall had been put to work manufacturing mortars and rockets. Moulds for shells lay on tables and unfinished casings littered the floor.

At another location nearby, part of an abandoned gas storage facility was strewn with the deadly improvised explosive devices IS produced there.

The white powder of homemade explosives spilled out of large bombs that the group had not had time to lay in the path of the advancing Iraqi troops.

&#39;Something else&#39;

&quot;In terms of scale, planning, centralised command and control and the precision to which they are manufacturing, this is something else,&quot; James Bevan, director of Conflict Armament Research, a UK-based group which investigates arms flows around the globe, told AFP.

&quot;I can&#39;t name another armed group that manufactures on such a scale and with such a degree of coordination.&quot;

Bevan and teams from his organisation have been on the ground in Iraq cataloguing the extent of IS arms production.

Their findings, detailed in a report released Wednesday, show a sophisticated system that pours out tens of thousands of standardised mortars, rockets and explosives on an &quot;unprecedented scale&quot; and under strict quality controls.

While the raw materials for shell casings and missiles come from scrap metal and spare parts in the cities that IS have captured, the explosives and propellant are made from precursors mostly procured in bulk from the open market in Turkey and diverted through Syria.

As proof of their high standards the final IS products are often painted a military green, branded with the group&#39;s logo and packed into specially made crates to be dispatched to the various fronts it is fighting on.

Lessons for West?

On the battlefield the weapons they manufacture themselves have proven an important way for IS to supplement their flow of factory-made arms seized from government forces or rebel groups in Iraq and Syria.

Commanded by former Iraqi military and intelligence officers, the group has fought conventional campaigns with the help of its own improvised weaponry.

But now, as the group faces increasing fragmentation with the territories it controls under pressure from various offensives, the intelligence being gleaned could prove invaluable for countering its threat beyond its shrinking heartland.

&quot;This will be critical for future efforts to counter the spread of this group,&quot; said arms expert Bevan.

From France and Belgium to Egypt and Turkey the group and its affiliates have already carried out bloody terror attacks in a string of countries across the globe.

Earlier this month the Europol police agency warned that IS were evolving their tactics to attack soft targets in Europe and could use the deadly car bombs they have employed to devastating effect in Iraq and Syria.

&quot;If you look at the Iraq and Syria theatre as a hotbed for the development of more and more sophisticated improvised devices then it is probably unparalleled,&quot; Bevan said.

&quot;If and when Islamic State is pushed out of Mosul and pushed out of large parts of Syria its fighters will disperse and that means its bomb-makers will disperse too.&quot;

(AFP)

The group dismantled existing infrastructure to create their own improvised arms factories that experts say no insurgent group has matched

Factories churning out tens of thousands of munitions and an entire street turned into a conveyor belt for car bombs: advances by Iraqi forces around Mosul have laid bare the scale of the Islamic State group's arms industry. In the more than two years since it seized control over swathes of the country, IS established a sprawling and highly organised system that experts say no other insurgent group has matched. The capability has seriously boosted the threat from the group as it battles ferociously to cling to territory in Iraq and Syria -- and the fresh intelligence could now prove vital in countering its plots to carry out attacks on the West. Iraqi army deminer Hashim Ali picked his way carefully through the rubble as he explained how IS transformed Mart Shmony street in Qaraqosh, some 16 kilometres (10 miles) southeast of Mosul, into a production line of death after seizing the town in 2014 and forcing the mainly Christian population to flee. Once it was a bustling thoroughfare of car workshops and stores selling Turkish furniture, but for the jihadists it offered all they needed to make the armoured car bombs they use to blow up civilians and slow advancing Iraqi troops. In one building they stripped the vehicles, in the neighbouring one they cut the metal plates for armour. A few doors down they made the explosives. Just up the road they loaded the bombs into the car. "These people are not stupid, they are very well organised," Ali told AFP. "If you give them more time then they always find ways to surprise you." Nearby the remnants of a pickup truck with a metal plate welded to its front stood inside a former furniture shop devastated by an air strike from the US-led coalition backing Iraqi troops. In towns, villages and districts retaken from IS the pattern was repeated. AFP visited a number of sites where the group cannibalised existing infrastructure to create their own improvised arms factories. In a former cement plant in the town of Areej the lathes in a cavernous hall had been put to work manufacturing mortars and rockets. Moulds for shells lay on tables and unfinished casings littered the floor. At another location nearby, part of an abandoned gas storage facility was strewn with the deadly improvised explosive devices IS produced there. The white powder of homemade explosives spilled out of large bombs that the group had not had time to lay in the path of the advancing Iraqi troops. 'Something else' "In terms of scale, planning, centralised command and control and the precision to which they are manufacturing, this is something else," James Bevan, director of Conflict Armament Research, a UK-based group which investigates arms flows around the globe, told AFP. "I can't name another armed group that manufactures on such a scale and with such a degree of coordination." Bevan and teams from his organisation have been on the ground in Iraq cataloguing the extent of IS arms production. Their findings, detailed in a report released Wednesday, show a sophisticated system that pours out tens of thousands of standardised mortars, rockets and explosives on an "unprecedented scale" and under strict quality controls. While the raw materials for shell casings and missiles come from scrap metal and spare parts in the cities that IS have captured, the explosives and propellant are made from precursors mostly procured in bulk from the open market in Turkey and diverted through Syria. As proof of their high standards the final IS products are often painted a military green, branded with the group's logo and packed into specially made crates to be dispatched to the various fronts it is fighting on. Lessons for West? On the battlefield the weapons they manufacture themselves have proven an important way for IS to supplement their flow of factory-made arms seized from government forces or rebel groups in Iraq and Syria. Commanded by former Iraqi military and intelligence officers, the group has fought conventional campaigns with the help of its own improvised weaponry. But now, as the group faces increasing fragmentation with the territories it controls under pressure from various offensives, the intelligence being gleaned could prove invaluable for countering its threat beyond its shrinking heartland. "This will be critical for future efforts to counter the spread of this group," said arms expert Bevan. From France and Belgium to Egypt and Turkey the group and its affiliates have already carried out bloody terror attacks in a string of countries across the globe. Earlier this month the Europol police agency warned that IS were evolving their tactics to attack soft targets in Europe and could use the deadly car bombs they have employed to devastating effect in Iraq and Syria. "If you look at the Iraq and Syria theatre as a hotbed for the development of more and more sophisticated improvised devices then it is probably unparalleled," Bevan said. "If and when Islamic State is pushed out of Mosul and pushed out of large parts of Syria its fighters will disperse and that means its bomb-makers will disperse too." (AFP)

Iraqi gains reveal huge scale of IS arms industry

In light of Turkey&#39;s Prime Minister Binali Yildarim&nbsp;saying there was &quot;almost no doubt&quot; Saturday&#39;s bombings were carried out by the Kurdistan Workers&#39; Party (PKK), WION&nbsp;publishes an&nbsp;interview&nbsp;with&nbsp;Cemil&nbsp;Bayik, one of the organisation&#39;s founders and leaders, and one of Turkey&#39;s most wanted men. The interview&nbsp;was taken at the end of October 2016 in&nbsp;Iraq&#39;s&nbsp;Qandil&nbsp;mountains, where the group&nbsp;has its headquarters.

&nbsp;

Many states consider the&nbsp;Kurdistan&nbsp;Workers&#39; Party (PKK)&nbsp;a terrorist group. How do you answer to this?&nbsp;

Those who have designated PKK as a terrorist&nbsp;organisation&nbsp;know themselves it is false. PKK is a movement which struggles for freedom, democracy, human rights and the values of humanity. It was included in the list of terrorist&nbsp;groups&nbsp;on the basis of Turkey&rsquo;s demand.&nbsp;According to article five&nbsp;of the NATO treaty, every country which is under threat from any&nbsp;organisation&nbsp;must be defended by other members, who must act according to its requests. Turkey demanded NATO members to include PKK in the terrorist list and they had to accept.&nbsp;

NATO members share many economic, political and military interests in the region and they did not want to endanger these for not accepting Turkey&rsquo;s request.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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&#39;Turkey has been pursuing a policy of assimilation, a cultural and recently also physical genocide against the Kurds. PKK is a movement which aims to resist against these policies, to defend Kurds and other people against such policies,&#39; says Bayik. (WION)
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&nbsp;

As PKK we do not regard as ourselves as a terrorist&nbsp;organisation. Turkey has been pursuing a policy of assimilation, a cultural and recently also physical genocide against the Kurds. PKK is a movement which aims to resist against these policies, to defend Kurds and other people against such policies.&nbsp;

In doing so PKK does not mean to establish a new state, nor changing the borders nor conquering the land of other peoples. We want Kurds to live on their own lands, to express themselves freely, to&nbsp;organise&nbsp;and practice their own traditions according to their identity. And the same for any other people in the region.&nbsp;

US and Europe may claim PKK is a terrorist&nbsp;organisation&nbsp;but the party has never carried any action against the US or Europe, it has not harmed any interest of the people of America and Europe. The inclusion of PKK in the terror list is an injustice, a violation of rights done against the Kurdish people.&nbsp;

A coalition force is fighting against the Islamic State (IS), an&nbsp;organisation&nbsp;which is considered terrorist. Many international actors&nbsp;recognised&nbsp;and appreciated the successful fight of PKK against IS, especially in&nbsp;Sinjiar&nbsp;where we saved hundreds of thousands of Yazidi from massacre. If the world now is fighting back IS, it is also because they have been encouraged by the fight of PKK. At a time when everybody run away in front of the flag of the Islamic State, the PKK went to the forefront and fought.&nbsp;

It has been well documented that Turkey, which claims that PKK is a terrorist&nbsp;organisation, has been the main force behind strengthening, developing, helping and arming the Islamic State. Even now Turkey intervenes and supports IS. So the main terrorist state which is supporting the terror of the Islamic State is Turkey and we can prove it by looking at what Turkey is doing especially in North Kurdistan, to the Kurdish cities there and what they are doing in Syria and Iraq.&nbsp;

Time has come for the international forces to stop calling PKK terrorist. People of Europe know that PKK is a major force fighting against the Islamic State and defending the people against them, especially the Yazidis.&nbsp;

Turkey has done worse&nbsp;than what the Islamic State has done in Kobane in many cities in North Kurdistan. I call on people who call PKK terrorist to go and witness what Turkey has done against those cities. What Erdogan has done against the Kurds in Turkey is the same Saddam Hussain and Bashar Assad have been doing against their own people. How come&nbsp;the&nbsp;forces which call them a&nbsp;sponsor&nbsp;for state terror are not calling Erdogan the same?&nbsp;What he has done to the Kurds far exceeds what the previous two have done.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Ankara has witnessed two major suicide attacks, in February and March 2016, resulting in the death of 67 people&nbsp;and&nbsp;more than 180 injured. The PKK has been pointed out as the mastermind, how do you respond to these accusations?&nbsp;

PKK has claimed responsibility for any action it has done. The secret state agencies active in Turkey have committed many crimes and then blamed the PKK. I call on the international community to set up an independent fact-finding commission to come and make an investigation about who has truly committed the many crimes we have been accused of.&nbsp;

During the past two years PKK has committed only one single action in Istanbul which has been claimed by&nbsp;the People Defence Forces (HPG). As PKK we have not done any military action in any big Turkish city.&nbsp;

There are several examples about actions committed by groups active within the Turkish State. The most recent is about the killing of two policemen for which the PKK was accused. This murder provided the ground for Turkey to move war against the PKK as a retaliation. We declared we have had no part in that killing but no investigation has been done. These are all measures meant to&nbsp;demonise the PKK.&nbsp;

I also want to call upon the international community for a fact-finding commission regarding young&nbsp;Kurds&nbsp;who want to join the guerrillas. We have evidence that when Turkey intercepts them, they are raped, male or female does not make any difference, and we consider this as a crime&nbsp;against&nbsp;humanity.&nbsp;

(WION was not able to&nbsp;independently verify Mr&nbsp;Bayik&#39;s claims.)

&nbsp;

What is your understating of the Turkish willingness to take part at any cost to the Mosul offensive and other anti-Islamic State offensives?&nbsp;

At the end of the First World War the issue of Mosul was still an open question. The city was part of the Ottoman territories, but after a treaty signed in 1926 Turkey was forced to withdraw. At that time Mosul was a region which comprehended almost all Kurdistan, to the point that&nbsp;the &quot;Kurdish question&quot;&nbsp;used to be called the &quot;Mosul question&quot;.&nbsp;

The condition that Turkey imposed while leaving Mosul was that Arabs and not Kurds should have ruled the region, a request which represents the beginning of nearly one hundred years of denial of rights for the Kurdish population.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Now a new world war is taking place and the issue of Mosul is again at the core of this conflict. This war, in the Middle East, is between three main actors: global financial markets, nation states and populations. Turkey and Iran are the main forces representing the nation state. Turkey has openly declared its policy to pursue its national interests; Iran does the same, but in a more hidden way. Turkish President Erdogan stated that they have not accepted to withdraw from Mosul voluntarily, a clear manifestation of his willingness to restore an Ottoman empire. This attitude paves the way for a future conflict between Iraq and Turkey.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The fight for Mosul is not the fight for one single city, it will determine who will have a voice in the administration of the Middle East. It is a conflict between interests of different regional and international powers and will set the road for the new Middle East.&nbsp;

In this conflict, Kurds do not&nbsp;want to continue their life without enjoying a&nbsp;status of legitimacy. This desire extends also to all populations which have&nbsp;to face the same policy of denial.

(WION was not able to&nbsp;independently verify Mr&nbsp;Bayik&#39;s claims.)

&nbsp;

What is the &quot;new Middle East&quot;&nbsp;which could come after Mosul?&nbsp;

It is not clear yet on which basis the Middle East will be&nbsp;reorganised. It is clear that the region is undergoing a change and the current conflict will shape it accordingly. Mosul represents the fight of the entire region and it will not end easily and soon. It may open the way to new sectarian conflicts which could last long.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In order to understand the present situation, culture is what matters the most. Religion is one of the parameters of the western Asian culture and a clear understanding of its role within the communities is fundamental.&nbsp;

When we talk about religion, one of its main characteristics is to pay allegiance and this paves the way for dogmatism and conservatism in the Middle East. It prevents making new developments and progress because it makes mandatory to pay allegiance to different structures.&nbsp;

Without questioning this culture of allegiance, it is impossible to bring change in the Middle East. Reform and renaissance are based on negotiation, discussion, controversy and criticism. If one wants to bring change in the Middle East it is imperative to go through such reform and renaissance process.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As PKK we believe that change in the region can only happen by enhancing the struggle for the freedom of women and the Democratic Nation. For us, these are the two bases to bring enlightenment in a new Middle East.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Given the many sectarian actors fighting against the Islamic State,&nbsp;will Iraq survive as a&nbsp;united country or&nbsp;will it become&nbsp;a&nbsp;confederation of states based on religious beliefs?

Even if the Islamic State ends, sectarian conflicts will be even more dangerous. There are two main hegemonic powers competing against each other in the Middle East, Iran and Turkey. Iran supports Al-Hasd&nbsp;Al-Shaabi&nbsp;(the mainly Shiite paramilitary forces) and Turkey is supporting Al-Hash Al-Watani&nbsp;(a mainly Sunni paramilitary group).&nbsp;&nbsp;

Iran aims to create a Shiite belt extended till Lebanon and Turkey, with the support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and using the Islamic State wants to establish its own new Ottoman hegemony.&nbsp;

Sectarian violence leads to disintegration and division within the society and create lasting hostilities between different communities, bringing a lot of ruin and destruction among the people.&nbsp;

The notion of Democratic Nation is a cure for this. It relies on unity between different religions and ethnic identities; only through implementing Democratic Nation it is possible to hold different entities together. We must insist on this concept to prevent sectarian conflicts in the region. The idea of Democratic Nation is gaining ground in Iraq and Syria, we have to develop it more if we want more freedom, unity, justice and equality for the people of the region.&nbsp;

Kurds should not take part in any sectarian conflict. There are different religious identities among Kurds and the only way to avoid division and sufferings is to stand against sectarian conflicts and work for the unity of all ethnic groups and religions. Only through that, Kurds will be able to defend themselves and the peoples of the Middle East.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Sectarian conflict is a threat for the future of Middle East. You have long been fighting for Kurdistan, the land of the Kurds. Isn&rsquo;t this a sectarian struggle itself?

At the present time, we have no aim of creating an independent Kurdistan. If the Kurds, in every part of Kurdistan are allowed to enjoy their democratic rights, the Kurdish question will be solved.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Different Kurdish communities have their own peculiarities; if the Kurdish question will be resolved democratically in every country that will lead to the ultimate solution of the matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This exactly is what we mean with the concept of Democratic Nation: an entity which does not deny to any people their rights. We want the same also for other peoples. Democratic Nation does not mean setting up a separate nation for the Kurds, it means implementing notions such as freedom, democracy, brotherhood and justice among different peoples. Whatever the PKK wants for the Kurds, it wants it for other people too.&nbsp;&nbsp;

We are no longer fighting to create a separate state, borders are losing their meaning. The European Union is a sort of confederation of states where borders have not the same meaning as before; we want the same model for the Middle East. A region where borders will no longer be a problem for the unity of the people.&nbsp;

We do not intend democracy as the rule of majority over minority. It is instead a matter of rights. Every religious or ethnic group should be able to enjoy its own rights, irrespective of their number. This is the pillar of&nbsp;Democratic Nation.&nbsp;

(WION)

Turkey has blamed Saturday's twin bomb attack outside Istanbul's Besiktas stadium on the PKK

In light of Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildarim saying there was "almost no doubt" Saturday's bombings were carried out by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), WION publishes an interview with Cemil Bayik, one of the organisation's founders and leaders, and one of Turkey's most wanted men. The interview was taken at the end of October 2016 in Iraq's Qandil mountains, where the group has its headquarters. Many states consider the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) a terrorist group. How do you answer to this? Those who have designated PKK as a terrorist organisation know themselves it is false. PKK is a movement which struggles for freedom, democracy, human rights and the values of humanity. It was included in the list of terrorist groups on the basis of Turkey’s demand. According to article five of the NATO treaty, every country which is under threat from any organisation must be defended by other members, who must act according to its requests. Turkey demanded NATO members to include PKK in the terrorist list and they had to accept. NATO members share many economic, political and military interests in the region and they did not want to endanger these for not accepting Turkey’s request. 'Turkey has been pursuing a policy of assimilation, a cultural and recently also physical genocide against the Kurds. PKK is a movement which aims to resist against these policies, to defend Kurds and other people against such policies,' says Bayik. (WION) × As PKK we do not regard as ourselves as a terrorist organisation. Turkey has been pursuing a policy of assimilation, a cultural and recently also physical genocide against the Kurds. PKK is a movement which aims to resist against these policies, to defend Kurds and other people against such policies. In doing so PKK does not mean to establish a new state, nor changing the borders nor conquering the land of other peoples. We want Kurds to live on their own lands, to express themselves freely, to organise and practice their own traditions according to their identity. And the same for any other people in the region. US and Europe may claim PKK is a terrorist organisation but the party has never carried any action against the US or Europe, it has not harmed any interest of the people of America and Europe. The inclusion of PKK in the terror list is an injustice, a violation of rights done against the Kurdish people. A coalition force is fighting against the Islamic State (IS), an organisation which is considered terrorist. Many international actors recognised and appreciated the successful fight of PKK against IS, especially in Sinjiar where we saved hundreds of thousands of Yazidi from massacre. If the world now is fighting back IS, it is also because they have been encouraged by the fight of PKK. At a time when everybody run away in front of the flag of the Islamic State, the PKK went to the forefront and fought. It has been well documented that Turkey, which claims that PKK is a terrorist organisation, has been the main force behind strengthening, developing, helping and arming the Islamic State. Even now Turkey intervenes and supports IS. So the main terrorist state which is supporting the terror of the Islamic State is Turkey and we can prove it by looking at what Turkey is doing especially in North Kurdistan, to the Kurdish cities there and what they are doing in Syria and Iraq. Time has come for the international forces to stop calling PKK terrorist. People of Europe know that PKK is a major force fighting against the Islamic State and defending the people against them, especially the Yazidis. Turkey has done worse than what the Islamic State has done in Kobane in many cities in North Kurdistan. I call on people who call PKK terrorist to go and witness what Turkey has done against those cities. What Erdogan has done against the Kurds in Turkey is the same Saddam Hussain and Bashar Assad have been doing against their own people. How come the forces which call them a sponsor for state terror are not calling Erdogan the same? What he has done to the Kurds far exceeds what the previous two have done. Ankara has witnessed two major suicide attacks, in February and March 2016, resulting in the death of 67 people and more than 180 injured. The PKK has been pointed out as the mastermind, how do you respond to these accusations? PKK has claimed responsibility for any action it has done. The secret state agencies active in Turkey have committed many crimes and then blamed the PKK. I call on the international community to set up an independent fact-finding commission to come and make an investigation about who has truly committed the many crimes we have been accused of. During the past two years PKK has committed only one single action in Istanbul which has been claimed by the People Defence Forces (HPG). As PKK we have not done any military action in any big Turkish city. There are several examples about actions committed by groups active within the Turkish State. The most recent is about the killing of two policemen for which the PKK was accused. This murder provided the ground for Turkey to move war against the PKK as a retaliation. We declared we have had no part in that killing but no investigation has been done. These are all measures meant to demonise the PKK. I also want to call upon the international community for a fact-finding commission regarding young Kurds who want to join the guerrillas. We have evidence that when Turkey intercepts them, they are raped, male or female does not make any difference, and we consider this as a crime against humanity. (WION was not able to independently verify Mr Bayik's claims.) What is your understating of the Turkish willingness to take part at any cost to the Mosul offensive and other anti-Islamic State offensives? At the end of the First World War the issue of Mosul was still an open question. The city was part of the Ottoman territories, but after a treaty signed in 1926 Turkey was forced to withdraw. At that time Mosul was a region which comprehended almost all Kurdistan, to the point that the "Kurdish question" used to be called the "Mosul question". The condition that Turkey imposed while leaving Mosul was that Arabs and not Kurds should have ruled the region, a request which represents the beginning of nearly one hundred years of denial of rights for the Kurdish population. Now a new world war is taking place and the issue of Mosul is again at the core of this conflict. This war, in the Middle East, is between three main actors: global financial markets, nation states and populations. Turkey and Iran are the main forces representing the nation state. Turkey has openly declared its policy to pursue its national interests; Iran does the same, but in a more hidden way. Turkish President Erdogan stated that they have not accepted to withdraw from Mosul voluntarily, a clear manifestation of his willingness to restore an Ottoman empire. This attitude paves the way for a future conflict between Iraq and Turkey. The fight for Mosul is not the fight for one single city, it will determine who will have a voice in the administration of the Middle East. It is a conflict between interests of different regional and international powers and will set the road for the new Middle East. In this conflict, Kurds do not want to continue their life without enjoying a status of legitimacy. This desire extends also to all populations which have to face the same policy of denial. (WION was not able to independently verify Mr Bayik's claims.) What is the "new Middle East" which could come after Mosul? It is not clear yet on which basis the Middle East will be reorganised. It is clear that the region is undergoing a change and the current conflict will shape it accordingly. Mosul represents the fight of the entire region and it will not end easily and soon. It may open the way to new sectarian conflicts which could last long. In order to understand the present situation, culture is what matters the most. Religion is one of the parameters of the western Asian culture and a clear understanding of its role within the communities is fundamental. When we talk about religion, one of its main characteristics is to pay allegiance and this paves the way for dogmatism and conservatism in the Middle East. It prevents making new developments and progress because it makes mandatory to pay allegiance to different structures. Without questioning this culture of allegiance, it is impossible to bring change in the Middle East. Reform and renaissance are based on negotiation, discussion, controversy and criticism. If one wants to bring change in the Middle East it is imperative to go through such reform and renaissance process. As PKK we believe that change in the region can only happen by enhancing the struggle for the freedom of women and the Democratic Nation. For us, these are the two bases to bring enlightenment in a new Middle East. Given the many sectarian actors fighting against the Islamic State, will Iraq survive as a united country or will it become a confederation of states based on religious beliefs? Even if the Islamic State ends, sectarian conflicts will be even more dangerous. There are two main hegemonic powers competing against each other in the Middle East, Iran and Turkey. Iran supports Al-Hasd Al-Shaabi (the mainly Shiite paramilitary forces) and Turkey is supporting Al-Hash Al-Watani (a mainly Sunni paramilitary group). Iran aims to create a Shiite belt extended till Lebanon and Turkey, with the support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and using the Islamic State wants to establish its own new Ottoman hegemony. Sectarian violence leads to disintegration and division within the society and create lasting hostilities between different communities, bringing a lot of ruin and destruction among the people. The notion of Democratic Nation is a cure for this. It relies on unity between different religions and ethnic identities; only through implementing Democratic Nation it is possible to hold different entities together. We must insist on this concept to prevent sectarian conflicts in the region. The idea of Democratic Nation is gaining ground in Iraq and Syria, we have to develop it more if we want more freedom, unity, justice and equality for the people of the region. Kurds should not take part in any sectarian conflict. There are different religious identities among Kurds and the only way to avoid division and sufferings is to stand against sectarian conflicts and work for the unity of all ethnic groups and religions. Only through that, Kurds will be able to defend themselves and the peoples of the Middle East. Sectarian conflict is a threat for the future of Middle East. You have long been fighting for Kurdistan, the land of the Kurds. Isn’t this a sectarian struggle itself? At the present time, we have no aim of creating an independent Kurdistan. If the Kurds, in every part of Kurdistan are allowed to enjoy their democratic rights, the Kurdish question will be solved. Different Kurdish communities have their own peculiarities; if the Kurdish question will be resolved democratically in every country that will lead to the ultimate solution of the matter. This exactly is what we mean with the concept of Democratic Nation: an entity which does not deny to any people their rights. We want the same also for other peoples. Democratic Nation does not mean setting up a separate nation for the Kurds, it means implementing notions such as freedom, democracy, brotherhood and justice among different peoples. Whatever the PKK wants for the Kurds, it wants it for other people too. We are no longer fighting to create a separate state, borders are losing their meaning. The European Union is a sort of confederation of states where borders have not the same meaning as before; we want the same model for the Middle East. A region where borders will no longer be a problem for the unity of the people. We do not intend democracy as the rule of majority over minority. It is instead a matter of rights. Every religious or ethnic group should be able to enjoy its own rights, irrespective of their number. This is the pillar of Democratic Nation. (WION)

WION interviews Cemil Bayik, a founder-leader of the PKK or Kurdistan Workers' Party

Around&nbsp;500,000 civilians in Mosul are facing a drinking water shortage, the UN warned&nbsp;as Iraqi forces advance against the Islamic State (IS) group in the city.

In addition to the severe lack of food and electricity, civilians are now running out of drinkable water, Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq told AFP.

Iraqi troops and allied forces launched an offensive last month to retake Mosul from the IS more than two years ago.

Weeks of fighting have among other things destroyed a major water pipeline in the city, the UN children&#39;s agency 
UNICEF said.

Water was cut to 650,000 people - 40 per cent of the total population in the city - a local official told Reuters.

f the pipeline is not repaired, residents will be forced to consume unhealthy water, exposing them to dangerous diseases.

Residents in east Mosul have resorted to pumping water from wells.

Since the launch of the assault since October, more than 70,000 people have fled the fighting, but more than a million people are estimated to still reside in the city.

A hospital in Gogjali on the eastern outskirts of Mosul has already begun to get patients with diarrhoea and intestinal cramps, a medical source told AFP.

Some residents blamed the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces for its warplanes damaging the main pipeline but an official with the Mosul municipality&nbsp;suggested that the IS may have intentionally stopped the flow.

Iraqi forces have told civilians to stay at home in order to avoid massive displacement from the city.

Deputy UN&nbsp;High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore said that&nbsp;there were reports that Islamic State shot dead 27 civilians in public in Mosul&#39;s Muhandiseen Park last week.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

In addition to the severe lack of food and electricity, civilians are now running out of drinkable water

Around 500,000 civilians in Mosul are facing a drinking water shortage, the UN warned as Iraqi forces advance against the Islamic State (IS) group in the city. In addition to the severe lack of food and electricity, civilians are now running out of drinkable water, Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq told AFP. Iraqi troops and allied forces launched an offensive last month to retake Mosul from the IS more than two years ago. Weeks of fighting have among other things destroyed a major water pipeline in the city, the UN children's agency UNICEF said. Water was cut to 650,000 people - 40 per cent of the total population in the city - a local official told Reuters. f the pipeline is not repaired, residents will be forced to consume unhealthy water, exposing them to dangerous diseases. Residents in east Mosul have resorted to pumping water from wells. Since the launch of the assault since October, more than 70,000 people have fled the fighting, but more than a million people are estimated to still reside in the city. A hospital in Gogjali on the eastern outskirts of Mosul has already begun to get patients with diarrhoea and intestinal cramps, a medical source told AFP. Some residents blamed the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces for its warplanes damaging the main pipeline but an official with the Mosul municipality suggested that the IS may have intentionally stopped the flow. Iraqi forces have told civilians to stay at home in order to avoid massive displacement from the city. Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore said that there were reports that Islamic State shot dead 27 civilians in public in Mosul's Muhandiseen Park last week. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Mosul food, water reserves dwindle as fighting cuts off supplies

&ldquo;There is a motorbike coming towards you, I repeat a motorbike is driving towards you. It&rsquo;s a suicide bomber. Shoot it down, I repeat shoot it down,&rdquo; says the walkie-talkie hanging to one of the field doctors&rsquo; belt in the small medical post on the Mosul frontline.&nbsp;

The motorbike is not directed against the post, but doctors are always connected with soldiers in action well inside the city to know in advance what they will need to face.

The small medical post is located in an abandoned house, inside the relatively safe neighbourhood of Al Samah, east of Mosul. It is the closest medical facility to the battle. All injured come here to receive primary treatment and then they get transferred to other hospitals. The worst cases are transferred to a hospital in Erbil, an hour-and-a-half drive from the city.

A handful of American and Iraqi doctors work relentlessly with their assistants to stabilise patients as quickly as possible.&nbsp;

The battle is very hard, it is a city at war and forces need to fight house by house and every door that they open could be the last of their lives.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We wake up at 6 am, have breakfast, and we may work until 2, 3 or 4 am. We give first aid like fluids to injured people&nbsp;to stabilise them. We support them psychologically and physically till we transfer them in the hospitals of Erbil,&rdquo; says military doctor Ghali.

Late in the afternoon, a group of wounded soldiers are rushed to the medical facility, they were ambushed while clearing an apartment. One of them, in charge of documenting the operation, showed us a footage of the moment. He has a superficial injury on his upper leg.

The video shows some 10&nbsp;soldiers crouched outside an apartment, one of them shouts to inquire if someone is in the house.&nbsp;&ldquo;Anyone inside? this is the Iraqi army.&rdquo;

&ldquo;Yes, we are inside. We are a family, don&rsquo;t shoot us,&rdquo; a feeble voice answers.&nbsp;

Soldiers look at each other, they nod. One of them opens slowly the door and a rain of bullets start hitting them from inside the house. It was not a family, it was a small team of Islamic State commando hiding there, and they managed to escape.

This is just one single event, but it is what happens every day. This is what it means fighting the war inside Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq, a city once home to 2.5 million citizens. The Iraqi army believes the city hosts between 5,000 and 7,000 IS terrorists ready to fight.

It is civilians who are paying the highest price of the war against the Islamic State though. Terrorists are using them as human shields in order to force the more-than-twelve-country coalition to avoid airstrikes and heavy artillery firing as much as possible.

&ldquo;The number (of injured civilians) is increasing because the Islamic State started to strike, bomb and shoot against civilians and we receive 50 to 120 cases a day,&rdquo; says military doctor Shail Juhat.

It means roughly 700 persons a week, if not more -- a number destined to increase the more the Iraqi forces dig deeper into the city.&nbsp;

The battle of Mosul hits mostly innocent people who did nothing to get to this point; children like Ahmed, who reaches the hospital in his father&rsquo;s arms. He was playing when a mortar fell a few metres close to him, injuring his right leg.&nbsp;

A young boy of about 10&nbsp;is brought in. He is severely injured with&nbsp;mortar shrapnels in his head, arm and legs. His elder brother, who brought&nbsp;him to the hospital, waited outside, cried and fainted. It took him forever to gather the courage to enter and assist his little brother.&nbsp;

Another man staggered in leaning on another&rsquo;s shoulders, covered in blood, obviously in pain. An improvised explosive device had triggered close to him.

A young lady in a long blue dress and glazed expression tried to get into ambulance where her husband lay&nbsp;injured. &ldquo;Where are we going?&rdquo; she asked, still in shock, gently grabbing the forearm of a soldier.

An Iraqi soldier who was in charge of documenting operations died.

Clearly, war does not spare anyone, it makes no distinction. There are no clever bombs, no intelligent bullets, no perfectly surgical strikes.

These positive -- and often lightly-used -- adjectives are only semantic shields, mostly used by belligerent actors to soften the reality of war on the ground. A reality made of anxiety, death, sweat, blood, tears, displacement and a liberal dose of pain. A violent and total element which abruptly breaks into a country&rsquo;s life, devastating its social fabric.&nbsp; 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

A small medical facility in the heart of Mosul receives roughly 700 wounded civilians in a week

“There is a motorbike coming towards you, I repeat a motorbike is driving towards you. It’s a suicide bomber. Shoot it down, I repeat shoot it down,” says the walkie-talkie hanging to one of the field doctors’ belt in the small medical post on the Mosul frontline. The motorbike is not directed against the post, but doctors are always connected with soldiers in action well inside the city to know in advance what they will need to face. The small medical post is located in an abandoned house, inside the relatively safe neighbourhood of Al Samah, east of Mosul. It is the closest medical facility to the battle. All injured come here to receive primary treatment and then they get transferred to other hospitals. The worst cases are transferred to a hospital in Erbil, an hour-and-a-half drive from the city. A handful of American and Iraqi doctors work relentlessly with their assistants to stabilise patients as quickly as possible. The battle is very hard, it is a city at war and forces need to fight house by house and every door that they open could be the last of their lives. “We wake up at 6 am, have breakfast, and we may work until 2, 3 or 4 am. We give first aid like fluids to injured people to stabilise them. We support them psychologically and physically till we transfer them in the hospitals of Erbil,” says military doctor Ghali. Late in the afternoon, a group of wounded soldiers are rushed to the medical facility, they were ambushed while clearing an apartment. One of them, in charge of documenting the operation, showed us a footage of the moment. He has a superficial injury on his upper leg. The video shows some 10 soldiers crouched outside an apartment, one of them shouts to inquire if someone is in the house. “Anyone inside? this is the Iraqi army.” “Yes, we are inside. We are a family, don’t shoot us,” a feeble voice answers. Soldiers look at each other, they nod. One of them opens slowly the door and a rain of bullets start hitting them from inside the house. It was not a family, it was a small team of Islamic State commando hiding there, and they managed to escape. This is just one single event, but it is what happens every day. This is what it means fighting the war inside Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq, a city once home to 2.5 million citizens. The Iraqi army believes the city hosts between 5,000 and 7,000 IS terrorists ready to fight. It is civilians who are paying the highest price of the war against the Islamic State though. Terrorists are using them as human shields in order to force the more-than-twelve-country coalition to avoid airstrikes and heavy artillery firing as much as possible. “The number (of injured civilians) is increasing because the Islamic State started to strike, bomb and shoot against civilians and we receive 50 to 120 cases a day,” says military doctor Shail Juhat. It means roughly 700 persons a week, if not more -- a number destined to increase the more the Iraqi forces dig deeper into the city. The battle of Mosul hits mostly innocent people who did nothing to get to this point; children like Ahmed, who reaches the hospital in his father’s arms. He was playing when a mortar fell a few metres close to him, injuring his right leg. A young boy of about 10 is brought in. He is severely injured with mortar shrapnels in his head, arm and legs. His elder brother, who brought him to the hospital, waited outside, cried and fainted. It took him forever to gather the courage to enter and assist his little brother. Another man staggered in leaning on another’s shoulders, covered in blood, obviously in pain. An improvised explosive device had triggered close to him. A young lady in a long blue dress and glazed expression tried to get into ambulance where her husband lay injured. “Where are we going?” she asked, still in shock, gently grabbing the forearm of a soldier. An Iraqi soldier who was in charge of documenting operations died. Clearly, war does not spare anyone, it makes no distinction. There are no clever bombs, no intelligent bullets, no perfectly surgical strikes. These positive -- and often lightly-used -- adjectives are only semantic shields, mostly used by belligerent actors to soften the reality of war on the ground. A reality made of anxiety, death, sweat, blood, tears, displacement and a liberal dose of pain. A violent and total element which abruptly breaks into a country’s life, devastating its social fabric. (WION)

Inside Mosul, civilians bear the brunt of war between Iraqi army, IS

Islamic State has been using drones to attack Iraqi troops advancing on the northern city of Mosul, the militant group&#39;s last major urban stronghold in country, the military said on Thursday.

Iraqi forces, with air and ground support from a US-led coalition, launched an offensive on October 17 to retake Mosul in the most complex campaign in Iraq since the US-led 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Troops have been fighting inside eastern Mosul since the start of the month.

Army officers showed journalists several drones looking like model aircraft which they said the group had built to scout out targets or launch attacks.

&quot;These drones were found in one of the houses (retaken by the army),&quot; Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi of Iraq&#39;s US-trained Counter Terrorism Service told reporters at a military headquarters in a Mosul suburb.

&quot;Islamic State uses drones for surveillance and sometimes it attaches explosives to them and uses to target commanders or headquarters,&quot; he said. He did not say whether the drone attacks had been successful.

Another officer said the drones had a range of one-and-a-half miles.

The Iraqi military estimates there are 5,000 to 6,000 insurgents in Mosul facing a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government units, Kurdish peshmerga and Shi&#39;ite militias.

Iraqi troops have faced fierce resistance from militants in the city who are moving around the city through tunnels, driving suicide car bombs into advancing soldiers and hitting them with sniper and mortar fire.

(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Army officers showed reporters several drones looking like model aircraft which they said the group had built to scout out targets

Islamic State has been using drones to attack Iraqi troops advancing on the northern city of Mosul, the militant group's last major urban stronghold in country, the military said on Thursday. Iraqi forces, with air and ground support from a US-led coalition, launched an offensive on October 17 to retake Mosul in the most complex campaign in Iraq since the US-led 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Troops have been fighting inside eastern Mosul since the start of the month. Army officers showed journalists several drones looking like model aircraft which they said the group had built to scout out targets or launch attacks. "These drones were found in one of the houses (retaken by the army)," Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi of Iraq's US-trained Counter Terrorism Service told reporters at a military headquarters in a Mosul suburb. "Islamic State uses drones for surveillance and sometimes it attaches explosives to them and uses to target commanders or headquarters," he said. He did not say whether the drone attacks had been successful. Another officer said the drones had a range of one-and-a-half miles. The Iraqi military estimates there are 5,000 to 6,000 insurgents in Mosul facing a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government units, Kurdish peshmerga and Shi'ite militias. Iraqi troops have faced fierce resistance from militants in the city who are moving around the city through tunnels, driving suicide car bombs into advancing soldiers and hitting them with sniper and mortar fire. (Reuters)

Islamic State using drones to attack troops in Mosul: Iraq army

US-backed Iraqi troops expanded their foothold on the eastern side of Islamic State&#39;s stronghold of Mosul on Friday, as the group pledged to mount more suicide attacks on their offensive to take the city.

The elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) stormed Tahrir district on the northeastern edge of Mosul, the last major city under control of the Sunni hard-line group in Iraq.&nbsp;

A Reuters correspondent reporting from the CTS-held line in Tahrir saw civilians streaming out of the nearby Aden district where fighting blazed, pushing trolleys containing their belongings and carrying home-made white flags.

The women were still shrouded in black robes imposed by the militants but most had uncovered their faces as they fled intense fighting.

Militants have been steadily retreating from areas around Mosul into the city since the battle started on October&nbsp;17, with air and ground support from a US-led coalition.

&quot;The advance is slow due to the civilians,&quot; said CTS Lt. General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi, adding that the US-trained unit aims to clear the rest of the neighborhood during the day.

A Friday prayer sermon referring to &quot;mujahideen&quot;, or holy war fighters, could be heard coming from a mosque under control of the jihadis in the vicinity. An armed man, possibly a sniper, was in the minaret of the mosque.

As the offensive entered its second month, Iraqi government forces are still fighting in a dozen of about 50 neighbourhoods on the eastern part of Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River that runs through its centre.

Militants are dug in among the civilians as a defence tactic to hamper air strikes, moving around the city through tunnels, driving suicide car bombs into advancing troops and hitting them with sniper and mortar fire.&nbsp;

&#39;Martyr operations are increasing&#39;

A loud explosion was heard several streets away from the CTS lines. An officer said it was a suicide bomber who blew himself up after being surrounded in a house. The CTS unit was using adrone&nbsp;to try to detect insurgents.

The number of fighters who are ready to blow themselves up is increasing, an insurgent commander told Islamic State&#39;s weekly magazine, al-Nabaa, published online on Thursday.

&quot;We&#39;re giving you the good news that the number of brothers ready for martyrdom is very large and, with God&#39;s grace, the brothers who are demanding martyr operations are increasing,&quot; said the commander, who was not named.

The offensive to take Mosul, the largest city under Islamic State control in either Iraq or Syria, is turning into the biggest battle in Iraq&#39;s turbulent history since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The CTS became the only unit to have breached the city limits on its eastern side two weeks ago. Other army units have yet to breach the northern and the southern sides.

Iranian-backed militias earlier this week announced the capture of an air base west of Mosul, part of their campaign to choke off the route between the Syrian and Iraqi parts of the caliphate Islamic State declared in 2014.

Iraqi military estimates put the number of Islamic State fighters in Mosul at 5,000 to 6,000. Facing them is a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government forces, Kurdish fighters and Shi&#39;ite paramilitary units.

Drawn out battle

Iraqi authorities have declined to give a timeline for recapture of the whole city, but the battle is likely to last for months. Militants have launched waves of counter-attacks against advancing forces, tying them down in lethal urban combat in narrow streets still full of residents.

The Islamic State commander cited in al-Nabaa said the battles with the Shi&#39;ite paramilitary groups known as Popular Mobilisation west of Mosul will continue &quot;in long episodes&quot;.&nbsp;

Iraqi authorities have not published a casualty toll for the Mosul campaign overall - either for security forces, civilians or Islamic State fighters. The warring sides claim to have inflicted thousands of casualties in enemy ranks.

Nearly 59,000 people have been displaced because of the fighting, moving from villages and towns around the city to government-held areas, according to UN&nbsp;estimates.

The figure does not include the thousands of people rounded up in villages around Mosul and forced to accompany Islamic State fighters to cover their retreat towards the city as human shields.

In some cases, men of fighting age were separated from those groups and summarily killed, according to residents and rights groups. Human Rights Watch said on Thursday more than 300 former police officers were likely killed last month and buried in a mass grave near the town of Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul.

Mosul&#39;s capture is seen as crucial towards dismantling the caliphate, and Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, believed to have withdrawn to a remote area near the Syrian border, has told his fighters there can be no retreat.

(Reuters)

The US-supported Iraqi troops said their advance on Mosul has been slow due to the wave of suicide attacks launched by IS

US-backed Iraqi troops expanded their foothold on the eastern side of Islamic State's stronghold of Mosul on Friday, as the group pledged to mount more suicide attacks on their offensive to take the city. The elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) stormed Tahrir district on the northeastern edge of Mosul, the last major city under control of the Sunni hard-line group in Iraq. A Reuters correspondent reporting from the CTS-held line in Tahrir saw civilians streaming out of the nearby Aden district where fighting blazed, pushing trolleys containing their belongings and carrying home-made white flags. The women were still shrouded in black robes imposed by the militants but most had uncovered their faces as they fled intense fighting. Militants have been steadily retreating from areas around Mosul into the city since the battle started on October 17, with air and ground support from a US-led coalition. "The advance is slow due to the civilians," said CTS Lt. General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi, adding that the US-trained unit aims to clear the rest of the neighborhood during the day. A Friday prayer sermon referring to "mujahideen", or holy war fighters, could be heard coming from a mosque under control of the jihadis in the vicinity. An armed man, possibly a sniper, was in the minaret of the mosque. As the offensive entered its second month, Iraqi government forces are still fighting in a dozen of about 50 neighbourhoods on the eastern part of Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River that runs through its centre. Militants are dug in among the civilians as a defence tactic to hamper air strikes, moving around the city through tunnels, driving suicide car bombs into advancing troops and hitting them with sniper and mortar fire. 'Martyr operations are increasing' A loud explosion was heard several streets away from the CTS lines. An officer said it was a suicide bomber who blew himself up after being surrounded in a house. The CTS unit was using adrone to try to detect insurgents. The number of fighters who are ready to blow themselves up is increasing, an insurgent commander told Islamic State's weekly magazine, al-Nabaa, published online on Thursday. "We're giving you the good news that the number of brothers ready for martyrdom is very large and, with God's grace, the brothers who are demanding martyr operations are increasing," said the commander, who was not named. The offensive to take Mosul, the largest city under Islamic State control in either Iraq or Syria, is turning into the biggest battle in Iraq's turbulent history since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. The CTS became the only unit to have breached the city limits on its eastern side two weeks ago. Other army units have yet to breach the northern and the southern sides. Iranian-backed militias earlier this week announced the capture of an air base west of Mosul, part of their campaign to choke off the route between the Syrian and Iraqi parts of the caliphate Islamic State declared in 2014. Iraqi military estimates put the number of Islamic State fighters in Mosul at 5,000 to 6,000. Facing them is a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government forces, Kurdish fighters and Shi'ite paramilitary units. Drawn out battle Iraqi authorities have declined to give a timeline for recapture of the whole city, but the battle is likely to last for months. Militants have launched waves of counter-attacks against advancing forces, tying them down in lethal urban combat in narrow streets still full of residents. The Islamic State commander cited in al-Nabaa said the battles with the Shi'ite paramilitary groups known as Popular Mobilisation west of Mosul will continue "in long episodes". Iraqi authorities have not published a casualty toll for the Mosul campaign overall - either for security forces, civilians or Islamic State fighters. The warring sides claim to have inflicted thousands of casualties in enemy ranks. Nearly 59,000 people have been displaced because of the fighting, moving from villages and towns around the city to government-held areas, according to UN estimates. The figure does not include the thousands of people rounded up in villages around Mosul and forced to accompany Islamic State fighters to cover their retreat towards the city as human shields. In some cases, men of fighting age were separated from those groups and summarily killed, according to residents and rights groups. Human Rights Watch said on Thursday more than 300 former police officers were likely killed last month and buried in a mass grave near the town of Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul. Mosul's capture is seen as crucial towards dismantling the caliphate, and Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, believed to have withdrawn to a remote area near the Syrian border, has told his fighters there can be no retreat. (Reuters)

Battle for Mosul: US-backed forces gain ground, IS 'ready for martyrdom'

Iraqi Shi&#39;ite militias said on Wednesday they had driven Islamic State fighters from an air base west of Mosul, a victory which would threaten the Sunni group&#39;s supply route from Syria to its last major stronghold in Iraq.

 
&quot;The airport of Tal Afar has been liberated,&quot; Yusif al-Kallabi, a spokesman for Popular Mobilisation, a coalition of mainly Iranian-backed militias, told Iraqi state TV.&nbsp;

 
The capture of the base, if confirmed, could be a significant development in the campaign to recapture Mosul, Islamic State&#39;s de facto capital since its forces swept through Iraq in 2014 and set up a self-declared caliphate in a swathe of Syria and northern Iraq.

 
Tal Afar lies about 60 km (38 miles) west of Mosul on the main road to Syria. Its seizure could also alarm Turkey, which is wary of Iraqi Shi&#39;ite involvement in the civil war in Syria.

 
&quot;Tal Afar will be the starting block for the liberation of all the area...to the Syrian border and beyond the Syria border,&quot; said Hadi al-Amiri, head of Badr Organisation, Popular Mobilisation&#39;s largest component, in a video clip.

 
While the Shi&#39;ite coalition is fighting Islamic State west of Mosul, regular army and police units are trying to advance from the other sides, backed by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters deployed in the north and the east.

 
Iraqi counter-terrorism forces breached Islamic State defences in east Mosul two weeks ago but have faced resistance from the militants, who have fought back with suicide car bombs, snipers and waves of counter-attacks.

 
The campaign that began on Oct. 17 with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition is the biggest military operation in Iraq in more than a decade of turmoil unleashed by the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

 
Popular Mobilisation, known locally by its Arabic name Hashid Shaabi, has said it plans to use Tal Afar base to take the battle against Islamic State into Syria, fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran.

 
Although it officially reports to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, it is mainly trained and equipped by Iran.

 
Popular Mobilisation&#39;s advance towards Tal Afar, which had a mixed population of mainly Shi`ite and Sunni Turkmen before Islamic State captured it in 2014, has raised the prospect of sectarian strife and alarmed neighbouring Turkey.

 
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Turkey was reinforcing its troops on the border with Iraq and would respond if the militias &quot;cause terror&quot; in Tal Afar.

 
Iraq&#39;s Abadi has sought to calm fears that the operation to recapture Tal Afar would ignite sectarian tension or escalate problems with Turkey, saying the attacking force that would enter the town will reflect its religious and ethnic make-up.

 
The Nineveh region surrounding Mosul is a mosaic of ethnic and religious communities - Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, Shi&#39;tes - though Sunni Arabs comprise the overwhelming majority.

 
Kurds may keep territory 
The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) suggested on Wednesday it would try to expand the area it rules in northern Iraq to include surrounding villages and towns captured by Kurdish fighters from Islamic State.

 
Kurdish Peshmerga forces &quot;will not retreat from areas retaken&quot; from Islamic State militants in Iraq, Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani said, according to Rudaw TV station.

 
Barzani&#39;s comment could rile the central government in Baghdad, which opposes his plans to expand the autonomous area, even though the two sides have been fighting together against Islamic State in Mosul.&nbsp;

 
The collapse of the Iraqi army two years ago in the face of Islamic State allowed the KRG to extend its rule over the oil-rich region of Kirkuk.

 
The government forces have been fighting in a dozen of the roughly 60 neighbourhoods on the eastern part of Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River. They have yet to enter from the northern and the southern sides.

 
Iraqi officials say the militants have used the city&#39;s more than one million remaining residents as human shields, firing from rooftops of inhabited houses and using a network of tunnels to launch ambushes in the midst of residential areas.

 
While the presence of civilians has slowed the advance, Iraqi officials say some of their operations have been assisted by information provided by residents about Islamic State military positions.

 
Trying to stop the flow of any information out of Mosul, the militants have cracked down on communications, banning the use of mobile phones and also confiscating satellite dishes to prevent people from seeing the progress made by Iraqi forces.

 
The group has also killed civilians suspected of helping the attacking forces, sometime putting their bodies on display around the city.

 
Iraqi military estimates put the number of Islamic State fighters in the city at 5,000 to 6,000. Facing them is a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government forces, Kurdish fighters and Shi&#39;ite paramilitary units.

 
Iraqi authorities have not published a casualty toll for the campaign overall - either for security forces, civilians or Islamic State fighters. The warring sides claim to have inflicted hundreds of casualties in enemy ranks.

 
Nearly 57,000 people have been displaced because of the fighting from villages and towns around the city to government-held areas, according to U.N. estimates.

 
The figure does not include the tens of thousands of people rounded up in villages around Mosul and forced to accompany Islamic State fighters to cover their retreat towards the city.

&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The ousting of IS fighters from an air base west of Mosul has given Iraqi militia a chance to threaten the crucial supply route

Iraqi Shi'ite militias said on Wednesday they had driven Islamic State fighters from an air base west of Mosul, a victory which would threaten the Sunni group's supply route from Syria to its last major stronghold in Iraq. "The airport of Tal Afar has been liberated," Yusif al-Kallabi, a spokesman for Popular Mobilisation, a coalition of mainly Iranian-backed militias, told Iraqi state TV. The capture of the base, if confirmed, could be a significant development in the campaign to recapture Mosul, Islamic State's de facto capital since its forces swept through Iraq in 2014 and set up a self-declared caliphate in a swathe of Syria and northern Iraq. Tal Afar lies about 60 km (38 miles) west of Mosul on the main road to Syria. Its seizure could also alarm Turkey, which is wary of Iraqi Shi'ite involvement in the civil war in Syria. "Tal Afar will be the starting block for the liberation of all the area...to the Syrian border and beyond the Syria border," said Hadi al-Amiri, head of Badr Organisation, Popular Mobilisation's largest component, in a video clip. While the Shi'ite coalition is fighting Islamic State west of Mosul, regular army and police units are trying to advance from the other sides, backed by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters deployed in the north and the east. Iraqi counter-terrorism forces breached Islamic State defences in east Mosul two weeks ago but have faced resistance from the militants, who have fought back with suicide car bombs, snipers and waves of counter-attacks. The campaign that began on Oct. 17 with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition is the biggest military operation in Iraq in more than a decade of turmoil unleashed by the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Popular Mobilisation, known locally by its Arabic name Hashid Shaabi, has said it plans to use Tal Afar base to take the battle against Islamic State into Syria, fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran. Although it officially reports to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, it is mainly trained and equipped by Iran. Popular Mobilisation's advance towards Tal Afar, which had a mixed population of mainly Shi`ite and Sunni Turkmen before Islamic State captured it in 2014, has raised the prospect of sectarian strife and alarmed neighbouring Turkey. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Turkey was reinforcing its troops on the border with Iraq and would respond if the militias "cause terror" in Tal Afar. Iraq's Abadi has sought to calm fears that the operation to recapture Tal Afar would ignite sectarian tension or escalate problems with Turkey, saying the attacking force that would enter the town will reflect its religious and ethnic make-up. The Nineveh region surrounding Mosul is a mosaic of ethnic and religious communities - Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, Shi'tes - though Sunni Arabs comprise the overwhelming majority. Kurds may keep territory The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) suggested on Wednesday it would try to expand the area it rules in northern Iraq to include surrounding villages and towns captured by Kurdish fighters from Islamic State. Kurdish Peshmerga forces "will not retreat from areas retaken" from Islamic State militants in Iraq, Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani said, according to Rudaw TV station. Barzani's comment could rile the central government in Baghdad, which opposes his plans to expand the autonomous area, even though the two sides have been fighting together against Islamic State in Mosul. The collapse of the Iraqi army two years ago in the face of Islamic State allowed the KRG to extend its rule over the oil-rich region of Kirkuk. The government forces have been fighting in a dozen of the roughly 60 neighbourhoods on the eastern part of Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River. They have yet to enter from the northern and the southern sides. Iraqi officials say the militants have used the city's more than one million remaining residents as human shields, firing from rooftops of inhabited houses and using a network of tunnels to launch ambushes in the midst of residential areas. While the presence of civilians has slowed the advance, Iraqi officials say some of their operations have been assisted by information provided by residents about Islamic State military positions. Trying to stop the flow of any information out of Mosul, the militants have cracked down on communications, banning the use of mobile phones and also confiscating satellite dishes to prevent people from seeing the progress made by Iraqi forces. The group has also killed civilians suspected of helping the attacking forces, sometime putting their bodies on display around the city. Iraqi military estimates put the number of Islamic State fighters in the city at 5,000 to 6,000. Facing them is a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government forces, Kurdish fighters and Shi'ite paramilitary units. Iraqi authorities have not published a casualty toll for the campaign overall - either for security forces, civilians or Islamic State fighters. The warring sides claim to have inflicted hundreds of casualties in enemy ranks. Nearly 57,000 people have been displaced because of the fighting from villages and towns around the city to government-held areas, according to U.N. estimates. The figure does not include the tens of thousands of people rounded up in villages around Mosul and forced to accompany Islamic State fighters to cover their retreat towards the city. (Reuters)

Iraqi militia threatens Islamic State''s supply route to Syria

Iraqi Brigadier General Saad Maan stated on November 15 that the country&rsquo;s army has now secured a large area of&nbsp;eastern Mosul, the de facto capital city of the Islamic State in Iraq. During a press conference in the Qayyarah base, the main hub for the operations to reconquer the city, he said&nbsp;&quot;more than a third of this (eastern) side has been liberated&rdquo;.

US Navy Captain&nbsp;Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon that despite the undeniable success in the &nbsp;operations, the battle is nowhere near over. &quot;It may be one-third cleared in terms of acreage, but it&#39;s not one-third clear in terms of challenge and task ahead,&quot; he said. &quot;As they get closer to the centre of the city, it&#39;s going to get more dense and more fierce in the fighting.&quot;

The Tigris river flows within the city, serving as the dividing line between the city&#39;s&nbsp;eastern&nbsp;and western side, the first being slightly bigger. In order to gain control over Mosul, it is primarily important to first defeat the Islamic State on the eastern side of the city and control the main five bridges crossing the river in order to isolate the remaining terrorists.

The Mosul offensive began on October 17 and succeeded in clearing the majority of the villages surrounding the city from Islamic State presence. Peshmergas, the Kurdistan regional&rsquo;s army, contributed significantly to the operations, attacking and defeating the Islamic State in their northern and northeastern territories.

After the last offensive against the town of Bashiqa, Peshmergas are likely to stop their operation. According to the agreement done with the Iraqi government, they were not supposed to enter the city of Mosul, their part of the war has now come to an end and they will secure and patrol all the reconquered areas.

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According to Iraq&#39;s&nbsp;military establishment&nbsp;the battle will proceed&nbsp;as scheduled, but they make no mystery about the many difficulties they&nbsp;face. The Islamic State is organising a strategic&nbsp;resistance,&nbsp;using the city&rsquo;s geography in their favour. Mosul, like many&nbsp;Arab towns, has&nbsp;congested neighbourhoods and many small lanes;&nbsp;it is easy to end up caught in ambushes. It is also difficult to enter the city with tanks.&nbsp;The only way to advance is in limited convoys of armoured vehicles slowly driving in the streets under heavy gunfire, mortar&nbsp;fire, suicide attacks and Improvised Explosive Devices. The Islamic State has also built a sophisticated and wide network of underground tunnels which allows them to move unseen all around the neighbourhood they control.

Brigadier General Saad Maan said that, so far, 955 IS terrorists have been killed and 108 arrested during the last phase of the offensive. There are no official figures about the casualties among the soldiers. Hospitals close to the city are receiving dozens of patients with gunfire injuries everyday, but there is no official figure regarding civilians killed during the operations.&nbsp;

The many civilians still within the city slow&nbsp;the offensive, especially airstrikes. The Islamic State often choose normal civilian houses as its bases and it is therefore difficult to understand how to proceed without killing innocent people.&nbsp;

It is very difficult to gather intelligence insights from Mosul since IS heavily controls&nbsp;all&nbsp;communications,&nbsp;and punishes with cruel death&nbsp;whoever is found guilty of any suspicious activity. This is the fate that befell&nbsp;the more than hundred persons found in a mass grave in the city of Hamam al-Alil, who were mostly policemen and people who provided useful information to the Iraqi army about IS movements in the area.

Many civilians are leaving the reconquered neighbourhood of the cities to reach the camps set up by the many international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in the country. According to data released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the number of individuals who fled Mosul alone is 48,750. More than 56,000 are believed to have left their houses since the beginning of the operations, men, women and children.&nbsp;

(WION)

The Islamic State is?using Mosul's geography in their favour: congested neighbourhoods and small laneways make ambushing easy

Iraqi Brigadier General Saad Maan stated on November 15 that the country’s army has now secured a large area of eastern Mosul, the de facto capital city of the Islamic State in Iraq. During a press conference in the Qayyarah base, the main hub for the operations to reconquer the city, he said "more than a third of this (eastern) side has been liberated”. US Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon that despite the undeniable success in the operations, the battle is nowhere near over. "It may be one-third cleared in terms of acreage, but it's not one-third clear in terms of challenge and task ahead," he said. "As they get closer to the centre of the city, it's going to get more dense and more fierce in the fighting." The Tigris river flows within the city, serving as the dividing line between the city's eastern and western side, the first being slightly bigger. In order to gain control over Mosul, it is primarily important to first defeat the Islamic State on the eastern side of the city and control the main five bridges crossing the river in order to isolate the remaining terrorists. The Mosul offensive began on October 17 and succeeded in clearing the majority of the villages surrounding the city from Islamic State presence. Peshmergas, the Kurdistan regional’s army, contributed significantly to the operations, attacking and defeating the Islamic State in their northern and northeastern territories. After the last offensive against the town of Bashiqa, Peshmergas are likely to stop their operation. According to the agreement done with the Iraqi government, they were not supposed to enter the city of Mosul, their part of the war has now come to an end and they will secure and patrol all the reconquered areas. The many civilians still within the city slow the offensive, especially airstrikes. The Islamic State often choose normal civilian houses as its bases, and it is therefore difficult to understand how to proceed without killing innocent people. × According to Iraq's military establishment the battle will proceed as scheduled, but they make no mystery about the many difficulties they face. The Islamic State is organising a strategic resistance, using the city’s geography in their favour. Mosul, like many Arab towns, has congested neighbourhoods and many small lanes; it is easy to end up caught in ambushes. It is also difficult to enter the city with tanks. The only way to advance is in limited convoys of armoured vehicles slowly driving in the streets under heavy gunfire, mortar fire, suicide attacks and Improvised Explosive Devices. The Islamic State has also built a sophisticated and wide network of underground tunnels which allows them to move unseen all around the neighbourhood they control. Brigadier General Saad Maan said that, so far, 955 IS terrorists have been killed and 108 arrested during the last phase of the offensive. There are no official figures about the casualties among the soldiers. Hospitals close to the city are receiving dozens of patients with gunfire injuries everyday, but there is no official figure regarding civilians killed during the operations. The many civilians still within the city slow the offensive, especially airstrikes. The Islamic State often choose normal civilian houses as its bases and it is therefore difficult to understand how to proceed without killing innocent people. It is very difficult to gather intelligence insights from Mosul since IS heavily controls all communications, and punishes with cruel death whoever is found guilty of any suspicious activity. This is the fate that befell the more than hundred persons found in a mass grave in the city of Hamam al-Alil, who were mostly policemen and people who provided useful information to the Iraqi army about IS movements in the area. Many civilians are leaving the reconquered neighbourhood of the cities to reach the camps set up by the many international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in the country. According to data released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the number of individuals who fled Mosul alone is 48,750. More than 56,000 are believed to have left their houses since the beginning of the operations, men, women and children. (WION)

Fighting IS: The state of the Mosul offensive

Islamic State militants abducted over 295 former Iraqi security members near their stronghold of Mosul in Iraq last week, the United Nations Human Rights Organisation reported today. They also forced 1,500 families to flee with them &nbsp;from their town of Hammam al Alil to Mosul airport, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

&quot;People forcibly moved or abducted, it appears, are either intended to be used as human shields or - depending on their perceived affiliations - killed,&quot; Reuters reported Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as saying.&nbsp;

The abductions take place as the Kurdish forces backed by US-led airstrike are waging a war to recapture Mosul from the IS.&nbsp;

About 100 of Iraqi officers were abducted around midnight of November 3 over 20 km west of Mosul, followed by a further 195 between November 1 and November 4 from villages from northwestern Iraq, 63 kms from Mosul.&nbsp;

About 100 of the former ISF officers were taken at around midnight on Nov. 3 from Mawaly village, which is about 20 km (12 miles) west of Mosul. A further 195 were abducted between Nov. 1 and Nov. 4 from villages in Tal Afar district, 63 kms from Mosul.&nbsp;

The conditions of those abducted, however, is not known, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

&quot;The fate of these civilians is unknown for the moment,&quot; Shamdasani told a UN briefing in Geneva.

Reuters reported that the UN also had information about the abduction of at least 30 sheikhs on November 2 and November 3.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

'People forcibly moved or abducted are either used as human shields or killed'

Islamic State militants abducted over 295 former Iraqi security members near their stronghold of Mosul in Iraq last week, the United Nations Human Rights Organisation reported today. They also forced 1,500 families to flee with them from their town of Hammam al Alil to Mosul airport, Reuters reported. "People forcibly moved or abducted, it appears, are either intended to be used as human shields or - depending on their perceived affiliations - killed," Reuters reported Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as saying. The abductions take place as the Kurdish forces backed by US-led airstrike are waging a war to recapture Mosul from the IS. About 100 of Iraqi officers were abducted around midnight of November 3 over 20 km west of Mosul, followed by a further 195 between November 1 and November 4 from villages from northwestern Iraq, 63 kms from Mosul. About 100 of the former ISF officers were taken at around midnight on Nov. 3 from Mawaly village, which is about 20 km (12 miles) west of Mosul. A further 195 were abducted between Nov. 1 and Nov. 4 from villages in Tal Afar district, 63 kms from Mosul. The conditions of those abducted, however, is not known, Reuters reported. "The fate of these civilians is unknown for the moment," Shamdasani told a UN briefing in Geneva. Reuters reported that the UN also had information about the abduction of at least 30 sheikhs on November 2 and November 3. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Islamic State abducts over 200 in Mosul, forces families to retreat: UN

Iraqi security troops said on Monday (November 7) they had found a mass grave containing about 150 decapitated corpses in the town of Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul.

The town was seized from Islamic State by Iraqi Federal Police units last week as Iraqi government forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and Shi&#39;ite militias backed by U.S.-led air strikes pushed their offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State.

The Iraqi police released a video to show the site of the grave.

&#39;&#39;These are the corpses of chopped heads, including children, elderly men and women. It is unforgivable crime. Those people are innocent. The Islamic State militants brought them here and killed them,&quot; an officer said, speaking at the site.

The UN&nbsp;High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani said on Tuesday (November 8) she could not confirm media reports of the mass grave, but said it happened to be in the same agricultural college in Hammam al Alil where the U.N. reported the execution of 50 police officers last month.

Islamic State fighters had abducted 295 former Iraqi Security Forces members and forced 1,500 families to retreat with them from the town, she added.

She said it appeared Islamic State either intended to kill them of use them as human shields.

(Reuters)

The town was seized from Islamic State by Iraqi Federal Police units last week as Iraqi government forces

Iraqi security troops said on Monday (November 7) they had found a mass grave containing about 150 decapitated corpses in the town of Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul. The town was seized from Islamic State by Iraqi Federal Police units last week as Iraqi government forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and Shi'ite militias backed by U.S.-led air strikes pushed their offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State. The Iraqi police released a video to show the site of the grave. ''These are the corpses of chopped heads, including children, elderly men and women. It is unforgivable crime. Those people are innocent. The Islamic State militants brought them here and killed them," an officer said, speaking at the site. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani said on Tuesday (November 8) she could not confirm media reports of the mass grave, but said it happened to be in the same agricultural college in Hammam al Alil where the U.N. reported the execution of 50 police officers last month. Islamic State fighters had abducted 295 former Iraqi Security Forces members and forced 1,500 families to retreat with them from the town, she added. She said it appeared Islamic State either intended to kill them of use them as human shields. (Reuters)

Iraq security forces say mass grave found near Mosul

With the Iraqi Army&#39;s latest phase in the Mosul offensive to reconquer the last stronghold of the Islamic State (IS)&nbsp;in Iraq, the Counter Terrorism Forces (CTF) and the 9th armoured division of the Iraqi army claim to have liberated six neighbourhoods on the southeastern edge of the city.

Small lanes and tall buildings define Mosul, making it an ideal scenario for the kind of resistance the Islamic State puts on: snipers, urban guerrilla, car bombs and ambushes.

Iraqi forces are involved every day in heavy fighting&nbsp;against the IS that does not seem close to surrendering.

The latest attack by the forces is made up of daily raids from the Iraqi Army&#39;s advanced posts within the city borders.

They leave their temporary bases, enter the city, try to advance as far as possible and then return to base. The objective is to gain territory every day in order to move their temporary bases forward inside the cities. The army thus needs to fully secure every area it conquers, an action which can take days even for a few hundred metres. It is an intermittent advance.

The presence of many civilians contributes to the slow pace of advance: engaging in heavy fights in heavily populated areas involves the risk killing of many people who are not fighting any war.

For the Iraqi army, reconquering Mosul is also a matter of restoring a reputation they lost in 2014 when 30,000 Iraqi soldiers withdrew and the 1,000 militant-strong IS took control of the city, its international airport and all the military and civil facilities in a week.

Lieutenant-General Raed Shakir Jawdat declared on Saturday that Iraqi forces took control of Hammam al-Alil, a town located 15 km south of Mosul which prior to IS control was home to approximately 65,000 people.

Regarding the operation, Major-General Najm al-Jabouri informed the media that some 70 terrorists were posted in the town.

&quot;Our elite forces have reached an area just 4 km (a little more than 2 miles) from Mosul airport,&quot; he told Al-Hurra television channel. The general said his forces had destroyed 17 bomb-laden cars meant to target the troops while advancing.

The Islamic State has been using civilians as human shields, a strategy which already used in many other battles. When troops start advancing within their territory, IS militants force civilians to follow them to other areas they still control in order to avoid direct attacks during their movements.

The United Nations said that the militants transported 1,600 abducted civilians from Hammam al-Alil to the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, earlier this week and took another 150 families from the town to Mosul the next day. UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that IS terrorists force people to handover their children, especially young boys over nine years who could be used in the future as child soldiers.

Civilians, whenever possible, are now leaving their homes as soon as the Iraqi regular forces advance and travel towards the refugee camps that NGOs have set up for months in preparation to what could be a massive exodus. There are no certain figures, but according to William Lacy Swing, head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), after a week of fighting in Mosul, 31,000 persons left their homes.

(WION)

Iraqi forces have recaptured six areas of the city but their task is getting increasingly difficult as they march deeper into the city

With the Iraqi Army's latest phase in the Mosul offensive to reconquer the last stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, the Counter Terrorism Forces (CTF) and the 9th armoured division of the Iraqi army claim to have liberated six neighbourhoods on the southeastern edge of the city. Small lanes and tall buildings define Mosul, making it an ideal scenario for the kind of resistance the Islamic State puts on: snipers, urban guerrilla, car bombs and ambushes. Iraqi forces are involved every day in heavy fighting against the IS that does not seem close to surrendering. The latest attack by the forces is made up of daily raids from the Iraqi Army's advanced posts within the city borders. They leave their temporary bases, enter the city, try to advance as far as possible and then return to base. The objective is to gain territory every day in order to move their temporary bases forward inside the cities. The army thus needs to fully secure every area it conquers, an action which can take days even for a few hundred metres. It is an intermittent advance. The presence of many civilians contributes to the slow pace of advance: engaging in heavy fights in heavily populated areas involves the risk killing of many people who are not fighting any war. For the Iraqi army, reconquering Mosul is also a matter of restoring a reputation they lost in 2014 when 30,000 Iraqi soldiers withdrew and the 1,000 militant-strong IS took control of the city, its international airport and all the military and civil facilities in a week. Lieutenant-General Raed Shakir Jawdat declared on Saturday that Iraqi forces took control of Hammam al-Alil, a town located 15 km south of Mosul which prior to IS control was home to approximately 65,000 people. Regarding the operation, Major-General Najm al-Jabouri informed the media that some 70 terrorists were posted in the town. "Our elite forces have reached an area just 4 km (a little more than 2 miles) from Mosul airport," he told Al-Hurra television channel. The general said his forces had destroyed 17 bomb-laden cars meant to target the troops while advancing. The Islamic State has been using civilians as human shields, a strategy which already used in many other battles. When troops start advancing within their territory, IS militants force civilians to follow them to other areas they still control in order to avoid direct attacks during their movements. The United Nations said that the militants transported 1,600 abducted civilians from Hammam al-Alil to the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, earlier this week and took another 150 families from the town to Mosul the next day. UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that IS terrorists force people to handover their children, especially young boys over nine years who could be used in the future as child soldiers. Civilians, whenever possible, are now leaving their homes as soon as the Iraqi regular forces advance and travel towards the refugee camps that NGOs have set up for months in preparation to what could be a massive exodus. There are no certain figures, but according to William Lacy Swing, head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), after a week of fighting in Mosul, 31,000 persons left their homes. (WION)

Battle for Mosul: Dense population, narrow lanes play into IS hands

Suicide bombers in ambulances packed with explosives detonated their vehicles at a checkpoint and a car park for Shi&#39;ite pilgrims in two Iraqi cities on Sunday, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens, officials told Reuters.

The attacks took place in the towns of Tikrit and Samarra as Iraqi troops, backed by a US-led international coalition intensified their offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants who have controlled it for more than two years.

Ultra-hardline Sunni Islamists have struck the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, the capital Baghdad and a western desert town during the three-week Mosul campaign.

Al-Askari mosque in Samarra, 125 km (80 miles) north of Baghdad is considered one of Shi&#39;ite Islam&#39;s holiest shrines.&nbsp;

Reuters reported that ten Iranian pilgrims were among the people killed. Pilgrimage official Mohammad Javad Daneshyar said that the Iranians were getting off a bus when the blast took place.

Authorities in both cities declared curfews, fearing possible further attacks.

An AFP report stated that there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State group frequently carries out suicide bombings in Iraq.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Suicide bombers in ambulances packed with explosives carried out the attacks in the towns of Tikrit and Samarra

Suicide bombers in ambulances packed with explosives detonated their vehicles at a checkpoint and a car park for Shi'ite pilgrims in two Iraqi cities on Sunday, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens, officials told Reuters. The attacks took place in the towns of Tikrit and Samarra as Iraqi troops, backed by a US-led international coalition intensified their offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants who have controlled it for more than two years. Ultra-hardline Sunni Islamists have struck the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, the capital Baghdad and a western desert town during the three-week Mosul campaign. Al-Askari mosque in Samarra, 125 km (80 miles) north of Baghdad is considered one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines. Reuters reported that ten Iranian pilgrims were among the people killed. Pilgrimage official Mohammad Javad Daneshyar said that the Iranians were getting off a bus when the blast took place. Authorities in both cities declared curfews, fearing possible further attacks. An AFP report stated that there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State group frequently carries out suicide bombings in Iraq. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Suicide bombing in Iraq kills at least 21

Iraqi forces said that they had managed to recapture six districts in eastern Mosul on Friday, Reuters reported.

A military statement said that an offensive by an officer of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) and his troops had the militants completely surrounded.

The neighbourhoods of Malayeen, Samah, Khadra, Karkukli, Quds and Karama had been taken over by the CTS troops with heavy losses to the militant fighters.

The CTS units may try to push all the way to the Tigris river, which runs through the centre of Mosul, an officer of the special forces told Reuters on Thursday.

A campaign was launched three weeks ago by Iraqi troops and special forces, Shi&#39;ite militias, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and other groups backed by US-led air strikes to retake Mosul, the urban stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) militants.

The Islamic State also holds large parts of neighbouring Syria.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the IS leader was reported as saying that there could be no retreat in a &quot;total war&quot; against anti-IS forces.

Mosul is home to nearly 1.5 million people and the United Nations (UN) has warned of a potential humanitarian crisis and a refugee exodus. A UN report says that 21,000 people have been displaced since the start of the Mosul campaign.

Iraqi officials, however, say that the Islamic State is holding the civilian population as human shields.

Mosul residents, who spoke to Reuters by telephone, said that Islamic State fighters had deployed artillery and rocket launchers around residential areas.

&quot;We saw Daesh (Islamic State) fighters installing a heavy anti-aircraft machine gun alongside a rocket launchpad, and mortars as well,&quot; a Mosul resident told Reuters.

Militants stormed a mosque and several houses early on Friday in Shirqat, a town about 100 km (60 miles) south of Mosul, a local police officer said. The attack killed seven soldiers and fighters from the Shi&#39;ite Popular Mobilisation force, Reuters reported.

Security forces soon declared a curfew in the region.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Expanding their foothold in Mosul, the Iraqi army said they have recaptured six districts in the east, inflicting heavy losses on militants

Iraqi forces said that they had managed to recapture six districts in eastern Mosul on Friday, Reuters reported. A military statement said that an offensive by an officer of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) and his troops had the militants completely surrounded. The neighbourhoods of Malayeen, Samah, Khadra, Karkukli, Quds and Karama had been taken over by the CTS troops with heavy losses to the militant fighters. The CTS units may try to push all the way to the Tigris river, which runs through the centre of Mosul, an officer of the special forces told Reuters on Thursday. A campaign was launched three weeks ago by Iraqi troops and special forces, Shi'ite militias, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and other groups backed by US-led air strikes to retake Mosul, the urban stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) militants. The Islamic State also holds large parts of neighbouring Syria. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the IS leader was reported as saying that there could be no retreat in a "total war" against anti-IS forces. Mosul is home to nearly 1.5 million people and the United Nations (UN) has warned of a potential humanitarian crisis and a refugee exodus. A UN report says that 21,000 people have been displaced since the start of the Mosul campaign. Iraqi officials, however, say that the Islamic State is holding the civilian population as human shields. Mosul residents, who spoke to Reuters by telephone, said that Islamic State fighters had deployed artillery and rocket launchers around residential areas. "We saw Daesh (Islamic State) fighters installing a heavy anti-aircraft machine gun alongside a rocket launchpad, and mortars as well," a Mosul resident told Reuters. Militants stormed a mosque and several houses early on Friday in Shirqat, a town about 100 km (60 miles) south of Mosul, a local police officer said. The attack killed seven soldiers and fighters from the Shi'ite Popular Mobilisation force, Reuters reported. Security forces soon declared a curfew in the region. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Iraqi forces reclaim six Mosul districts from Islamic State

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