Iraqi forces retake third of west Mosul from ‘weakened’ ISIL

Extremists have lost control of about 17 of Mosul’s 40 western districts, says commander from Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service.

An army helicopter fires a weapon as Iraqi forces battle ISIL fighters in western Mosul on March 12, 2017. Zohra Bensemra / Reuters

MOSUL // Iraqi forces have retaken around 30 per cent of west Mosul from ISIL after three weeks of fighting and have pushed into its Old City on Sunday, commanders said.

Troops from the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) stormed the Al Jadida and Al Aghawat districts, while federal police and Rapid Response units entered the Bab Al Tob area of the Old City, where the fight is expected to be toughest because the narrow streets do not allow the use of armoured vehicles.

CTS commander Maj Gen Maan Al Saadi said about 17 of Mosul’s 40 western districts had been retaken, and the militants were showing signs of weakness.

“The enemy has lost its fighting power and its resolve has weakened. It has begun to lose command and control,” he said.

The officer said he expected it would take less time to recapture the western half of the city than the east, which was cleared in January after 100 days of fighting.

More than 200,000 Mosul residents have been displaced since October, when the campaign to retake ISIL’s last urban stronghold in Iraq was launched. More than 65,000 fled their homes in the past two weeks alone, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

As many as 600,000 civilians are trapped with the militants inside the city, which Iraqi forces have effectively sealed off from the remaining territory that ISIL controls in Syria and Iraq.

* Reuters