RNA - Iraq's military offensive to liberate the city of Mosul from ISIL's control continued on Sunday as reports said Iraq's joint military forces managed to seize back the ancient city of Nimrud 30 kilometers to the South of Mosul.
Iraqi Forces Win Back Ancient City of Nimrud Near Mosul
Iraq's joint military forces managed to seize back the ancient city of Nimrud 30 kilometers to the South of the city of Mosul.
"The Iraqi army's Ninth Armored Division inflicted heavy losses on the ISIL terrorists after taking full control of Nimrud ancient city and its surrounding areas," senior Iraqi Commander Major General Abdel Amir Yarallah said on Sunday.
Iraq's joint military forces are now in full control of the ancient city.
Popular Forces' Commanders Blast US for Troubling Mosul Operation
Commanders of popular forces in Iraq lashed out at the US-led coalition for hindering the operation to fully liberate Mosul.
"The popular and resistance forces are not pleased with the US-led international coalition's presence in Nineveh operations since they do not coordinate operations with the popular forces in the Western front," Spokesman and a senior commander of Iraq's Kata'ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Battalions) popular forces Jafar al-Hosseini told FNA on Sunday.
He said that the popular forces have called on the government to exclude the US-led coalition from the Western front.
Iraqi Forces Continue to Advance in Eastern Mosul
Iraq's joint military forces continued to move ahead in several directions inside Mosul and seized back several more districts Southeast of the city, while the ISIL has resorted to dispatching female suicide bombers to war fronts to prevent the army's further advances.
"The Iraqi forces entered the Eastern flank of the city from the Southeastern side and purged terrorists from al-Entesar, Jadideh al-Mufti, al-Shima, al-Salam and Youness al-Sabawi regions as well as all the villages located to the North of al-Zab river," Senior Iraqi Commander Abdel Amir Rashid Yarallah said on Sunday.
ISIL Attacks Village in Central Iraq with Chemical Shells
ISIL attacked a village in the Central Iraqi Salaheddin province with the shells of chlorine gas, killing at least three people, a local source reported.
The source said terrorists fired at the village over 15 mortar shells containing chemical chlorine, Al-Sumeriya reported.
"The ISIL attacked a village in Al-Shirqat region with more than 15 mortar shells, some of those containing toxic chemical chlorine. As a result of firing three people were killed, two were wounded, among them women and children. Material damage was done, as well," the source further added.
ISIL Orders Militants' Withdrawal to Mosul City Center
Commander of 'We Are Coming Nineveh' Military Operation Najm al-Jabouri said the ISIL has ordered its militants to withdraw from their positions to the center of the city of Mosul.
"The advances made by the Iraqi forces from several directions have resulted in ISIL's withdrawal to Mosul city center," the Arabic-language media quoted al-Jabouri as saying on Sunday.
The commander said that ISIL's withdrawal order came from fear of confrontation with the Iraqi security forces.
He noted that Iraq's joint security forces are forcefully and rapidly advancing towards towns located to the East and North of Mosul city.
Iraqi Forces Kill 30 Militants, Defuse 30 Car Bombs in Mosul
Forces of Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) purged ISIL militants from two districts in Eastern Mosul and began advancing in a third neighborhood.
CTS commander Lieutenant-General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi made the announcement, while adding that 30 militants were killed in the process, presstv reported.
He said that Iraqi forces are now fully in control of the district of al-Arbajiya and are currently halfway through purging the adjacent al-Qadisiya al-Thaniya district.
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