MOSUL: Iraqi forces said Tuesday they were fighting fierce battles with Daesh and rescuing escaping civilians as they pursued their offensive against Mosul’s terrorist-held Old City.
Staff Lt. Gen. Abdulghani Al-Assadi, a senior commander in the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), said the battle was proceeding as expected but that progress was slow.
“Things are good and the battle is going as planned,” he told AFP. “We have many obstacles — the nature of the land, the nature of the construction, the roads and the civilian population — all of which make us slow down our work.” He said civilians were escaping the Old City, with up to 400 approaching the positions of Iraqi forces on Monday.
Federal police forces said they were moving forward on the southern front of the battle with support from heavy weapons fire and on the northern front had surrounded a hospital.
Iraqi forces launched the operation on Sunday to retake the Old City, the last part of Iraq’s second city still held by Daesh after a months-long offensive.
Commanders say the terrorists are putting up fierce resistance and there are fears for more than 100,000 civilians believed to be trapped in the maze of narrow streets.
Iraqi forces have been inching forward in the face of heavy sniper and mortar fire and booby-traps laid by the militants.
On Monday, three French journalists were wounded and Kurdish reporter Bakhtiyar Addad killed in a mine explosion while accompanying Iraqi forces in Mosul.
French public broadcaster France Televisions said Tuesday that one of the wounded journalists, Stephan Villeneuve, had died of his injuries.
The push into Mosul’s historic heart on the west bank of the Tigris marks the culmination of a campaign launched in October by Iraqi forces to retake Daesh’s last major urban stronghold in the country.
The US-led coalition battling Daesh in Iraq and neighboring Syria has backed the offensive, including with months of airstrikes.
The UN has said Daesh may be holding more than 100,000 civilians as human shields in the Old City.
Commanders have said the fighting is expected to be very difficult and could last weeks.
Surrounded by Iraqi forces on three sides and blocked on the other by the Tigris that runs through Mosul, the terrorists are cornered.
Staff Lt. Gen. Abdulghani Al-Assadi, a senior commander in the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), said the battle was proceeding as expected but that progress was slow.
“Things are good and the battle is going as planned,” he told AFP. “We have many obstacles — the nature of the land, the nature of the construction, the roads and the civilian population — all of which make us slow down our work.” He said civilians were escaping the Old City, with up to 400 approaching the positions of Iraqi forces on Monday.
Federal police forces said they were moving forward on the southern front of the battle with support from heavy weapons fire and on the northern front had surrounded a hospital.
Iraqi forces launched the operation on Sunday to retake the Old City, the last part of Iraq’s second city still held by Daesh after a months-long offensive.
Commanders say the terrorists are putting up fierce resistance and there are fears for more than 100,000 civilians believed to be trapped in the maze of narrow streets.
Iraqi forces have been inching forward in the face of heavy sniper and mortar fire and booby-traps laid by the militants.
On Monday, three French journalists were wounded and Kurdish reporter Bakhtiyar Addad killed in a mine explosion while accompanying Iraqi forces in Mosul.
French public broadcaster France Televisions said Tuesday that one of the wounded journalists, Stephan Villeneuve, had died of his injuries.
The push into Mosul’s historic heart on the west bank of the Tigris marks the culmination of a campaign launched in October by Iraqi forces to retake Daesh’s last major urban stronghold in the country.
The US-led coalition battling Daesh in Iraq and neighboring Syria has backed the offensive, including with months of airstrikes.
The UN has said Daesh may be holding more than 100,000 civilians as human shields in the Old City.
Commanders have said the fighting is expected to be very difficult and could last weeks.
Surrounded by Iraqi forces on three sides and blocked on the other by the Tigris that runs through Mosul, the terrorists are cornered.
