RNA - The comprehensive military campaign to liberate the Northern Iraqi city of Mosul continued on Thursday with Counter Terrorism Forces saying that they are progressing steadily in their operations to liberate the ISIL-held city.
Commander: Iraqi Elite Forces Progressing Steadily in Mosul
Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) said they are progressing steadily in their operations to liberate the ISIL-held city of Mosul from its terrorist occupants.
CTS troops have entered the Northeastern neighborhood of Qahera, where they commenced operations to purge ISIL militants from it and surrounding districts, presstv reported.
Major General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, a CTS commander, told reporters that after deployment the troops split up into two groups heading South and North.
“The troops made good progress in both directions according to plan. Troops heading South secured almost 70 percent of al-Ikha neighborhood, which is an important neighborhood,” he said.
He noted that the forces had now surrounded the al-Ilam, al-Tamim and al-Noor neighborhoods, and were preparing to cut off the supply routes to the al-Quds and al-Karama neighborhoods.
26 ISIL Militants Killed by Iraqi Forces as Another Mosul District Liberated
At least 26 ISIL militants were killed when Iraqi security forces liberated another district in the Northern city of Mosul and a village just outside the militant-held city during the massive military campaign to retake the ISIL's last bastion in the war-hit country, local media said.
According to a statement by Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC), cited by Al Forat News, Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces retook Mosul's al-Ikha al-Thaniyeh district after inflicting great losses in lives and equipment on the ISIL terrorists.
The statement added that the Iraqi forces have raised the country's flag on buildings in the liberated neighborhood.
The command center said the Iraqi federal police have also freed Tal al-Romman village just outside Mosul on the city's Southwestern flanks.
Dozens of Terrorists Dead as ISIL's Munitions Warehouse West of Mosul Explodes
Dozens of ISIL terrorists were reportedly killed when an ammunition warehouse used by the terrorist group West of the Northern Iraqi city of Mosul went off on Thursday, media reported.
Al Mayadeen TV channel said the ammunition warehouse in the Northwest of Tal Afar airport in Western Mosul was apparently used by the terrorist group to store mines, IEDs and other weapons.
There were no immediate reports on possible causes of the incident.
The report came as Iraqi forces say they are progressing steadily in the operations to liberate the ISIL-held city of Mosul from its terrorist occupants.
Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units liberated two more villages close to Mosul. Some 2,300 families, whom ISIL terrorists were using as human shields, were also freed during the offensives to free al-Buthah and al-Salehiyah villages.
15 Iraqi Children Killed by ISIL Snipers in Mosul
ISIL snipers shot dead 15 children in Iraq's battleground Northern city of Mosul as they were desperately running for a safe haven, a security source told local media.
The security source told Arabic-language al-Sumeriya News that ISIL snipers targeted the children as they were trying to reach the Iraqi security forces' position in the ISIL-held city.
The source added that ISIL terrorists who frequently target the homeless and displaced children have deliberately killed the 15 children in the streets of Mosul.
ISIL employs the most horrible methods to kill Mosul's displaced residents including using them as human shields or blowing them up with booby-trap bombs as well as targeting children by sniper shots to prevent them from leaving the battleground city.
UN: 500,000 Civilians in Mosul Facing Catastrophic Water Shortages
The United Nations warned that up to 500,000 civilians in Mosul are facing a "catastrophic" drinking water shortage as Iraqi forces advance on ISIL in the city.
"Nearly half a million civilians, already struggling to feed themselves day to day, are now without access to clean drinking water. The impact on children, women and families will be catastrophic," said Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, the National reported.
On Tuesday, a local official said water supplies had been cut off for about 650,000 residents in 15 districts and suburbs after a pipeline was hit during fighting.
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