Iraqi forces battled the last IS group holdouts in Mosul on Wednesday, a day after the country’s premier feted the “major victory” over the group in the northern city. In neighbouring Syria, US-backed forces gained ground after air strikes by the international anti-IS coalition punched holes in the wall of the Old City in Raqa, where they are waging a parallel offensive against the militants.
“Today, our advance was easier than yesterday,” said Lieutenant Colonel Haider Hussein, a commander in Iraq’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service.
“We took control of more than 200 metres today and there are less than 200 metres remaining towards the Tigris River,” Hussein said, referring to the waterway marking the
eastern edge of remaining IS-held territory in the city.
More than eight months since the start of the operation, IS has gone from fully controlling Mosul to holding a limited area in the Old City on its western side.
But Iraqi troops in Mosul have faced tough fighting and a spike in suicide bombings in recent days, commanders have said. — AFP
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