RNA - The comprehensive military campaign by Iraqi military forces to liberate the Northern city of Mosul from ISIL militants continued on Wednesday with reports saying that the Iraqi forces have begun targeting ISIL positions on the Western bank of the Tigris River, after they completed the operation to recapture Mosul's Eastern side.
Iraqi Forces Target ISIL Positions in Western Mosul
Iraqi rapid response forces targeted ISIL positions on the Western bank of the Tigris River in Mosul, after officials announced the complete recapture of the Eastern side.
Mopping-up operations were still under way in Rashidiya, the last district liberated from the militants on the East bank of the Tigris to flush out remaining militants in a pocket in the Northeastern district, NRT reported.
Hundreds of people from Rashidiya left the district with their belongings to escape fighting.
Iraq’s PM: Eastern Mosul ‘Fully Liberated’ from ISIL
Iraq’s prime minister declared Eastern Mosul “fully liberated” from ISIL after a day of fierce fighting and more than three months after a massive operation to retake the city began.
Iraqi forces drove ISIL militants from one of their last bastions in the Eastern half of the city, while aid groups expressed concern for the estimated 750,000 people still in the militant-held West, the Star reported.
In his weekly news conference, Haider al-Abadi hailed the “unmatched heroism of all security forces factions” and public support for the operation.
Iraq's Nujaba Hunts ISIL Terrorists along Mosul-Tikrit Road with Kornet Missiles
Iraq's Hezbollah al-Nujaba Movement used Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missiles to destroy ISIL's military positions and vehicles along the Tikrit-Mosul road.
Iraq's al-Nujaba managed to fortify their military positions along the Tirkit-Mosul road after destroying the terrorists' military positions with Kornet missiles.
The Iraqi forces also liberated three more villages, a command center and three gathering centers.
Iraq's joint military forces also destroyed a suicide vehicle of the terrorists and killed a large number of militants.
The Iraqi forces had also seized back the three villages of Jaber Hoveida, Admaneh and Feyz al-Salaj to the West of al-Sharqat.
Civilians Trying to Flee Mosul Targeted by ISIL Terrorists
UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said ISIL terrorists carry out attacks on civilians, who are attempting to escape from the Iraqi city of Mosul.
Shamdasani said that US-led international coalition airstrikes, carried out in Mosul, also continued to inflict casualties on civilians, Sputnik reported.
"ISIL has also continued to attack those fleeing or attempting to flee areas controlled by it. The reports we have received and have been able to verify from ISIL-occupied areas are patchy, but we have had several reports of people being shot at as they attempt to flee ISIL-controlled areas of the city," Shamdasani said at a press briefing, as quoted by the OHCHR media center.
Iraq Popular Forces Thwart Terrorists' Offensive Northeast of Tikrit
A commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces confirmed on Wednesday that the troops have repelled a terrorist attack carried out by ISIL militants with two car bombs North of Tikrit.
“Two car bombs driven by suicide bombers have tried to break through the defense fortifications of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Tel Kusaibah, 35km Northeast of Tikrit, and were repelled and detonated by the PMF troops before reaching the defense fortifications,” said Mahdi al-Ammerli, Badr News Agency reported.
“The Popular Mobilization Forces have imposed full control over the areas Northeast of Tikrit and foiled several terrorist attacks during the past months in conjunction with tribal fighters”, he added.
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