Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) recapture another district in western Mosul

Members of the Iraqi forces take position in a neighborhood of west Mosul on May 17, 2017, during an ongoing offensive to retake the area from Daesh terrorists. (Photo by AFP)

Members of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) have reclaimed full control over another district in western Mosul as government forces and allied fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units are battling to flush Daesh Takfiri terrorists out of the country’s second largest city.

The commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, said CTS forces had liberated al-Warshan neighborhood from the grip of Daesh following intense clashes with extremists stationed there, Arabic-language al-Sumaria satellite television network reported.

Yarallah added that Iraqi forces had inflicted heavy losses on Daesh ranks during the operation and destroyed a large amount of their military hardware.

The media bureau of the Popular Mobilization Units, commonly known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha’abi, also announced in a statement that fighters from the 99th Brigade of the pro-government forces had intercepted and shot down a Daesh drone.

The statement noted that the unmanned aerial vehicle was flying over the Makhoul Mountains, which lie 40 kilometers north of Salahuddin’s provincial capital city of Tikrit.

Members of the Iraqi forces take position with armored vehicles in a neighborhood of west Mosul on May 17, 2017, during an ongoing offensive to retake the area from Daesh terrorists. (Photo by AFP)

Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters also targeted a gathering of Daesh Takfiris in the area, setting two vehicles ablaze and injuring scores of the terrorists.

Separately, the volunteer forces retook Cairo village as they continue to achieve more territorial gains in Qairawan region west of Mosul. A number of Daesh outposts were destroyed during the liberation operation.

Brigadier General Mohamed al-Jubouri from the Interior Ministry’s elite Rapid Response forces also said the troops had thwarted Daesh terrorist attacks against 17 Tamuz, Mushirfa, Najjar and al- Rifa'I neighborhoods, killing 12 extremists in the process.

Mohamed Jassem, a police officer from Mosul, told Basnews news agency that five police officers were killed and eight others wounded on Thursday, when Daesh drones struck their position in al-Marir village south of the city.

The United Nations said on Thursday that another 200,000 people might flee their homes as fighting escalates in Mosul.

Iraqis leave their homes as members of the Iraqi forces take position in a neighborhood of west Mosul on May 17, 2017, during an ongoing offensive to retake the area from Daesh terrorists. (Photo by AFP)

UN humanitarian coordinator Lise Grande said nearly 700,000 people have already been displaced from Mosul ever since Iraqi army troopers and their allies launched a major operation on October 17, 2016 to retake the city from the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

“The number of people fleeing their homes in western Mosul are overwhelming. They are fleeing under very difficult circumstances. Many are food insecure and haven't had access to safe drinking water and medicines for weeks or months,” Grande said in a statement.

Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units have made sweeping gains against the Takfiri elements since launching the Mosul operation.

The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19.