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Nearly 3 years after Da'ish took the city... #Iraq's flag has been raised above #Mosul's government buildings


yota691
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Just now, tigergorzow said:

Iraq is On Their Way To "Security & Stability" which means the CBI will not have any other excuses or delays to move forward with "Project To Delete  Zeros" & Increase Purchasing Power for the Citizens.   RV / RI & International Recognized Currency and other good things that come with returning to the "World Stage".  

Keeping The Faith!!

GO RV!!

Damn Straight ! No more excuses and Git R Done Pronto !

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11 minutes ago, 10 YEARS LATER said:

" Strength Through Superior Fire Power & Absolute Retaliation " - the worst is yet to come for ISIS forces.  :wave:

10YL,  Our Forces will wipe ISIS in Western Mosul in the next 10 -15 days either they will die or surrender IMHO.    Most of them will be killed but the other cowards will surrender and tuck tail and run but will not get far because Mad-Dog will ensure they are hunted down and killed.   Raqqa will be next so no where to run & hide anymore.   Time is UP!!    

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SENIOR ISIS MEMBERS KILLED IN ‘SPECIAL OPS’ BY KURDISH, COALITION FORCES

Senior ISIS members killed in ‘special ops’ by Kurdish, Coalition forces
 

8 mins ago

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SULAIMANI — A number of senior Islamic State (ISIS) members were killed during a “special operation” by Kurdish Counter-Terrorism forces and Coalition forces in Mosul, the Counter-Terrorism Agency said.

The agency, part of the Kurdistan Region’s Protection and Information Agency, released footage on Sunday (February 19) saying a joint operation by Counter-Terrorism forces and Coalition forces targeted ISIS’ Furqan Batallion headquarters in Mosul.

“The Health Minister of the Caliphate State, Salah Hassan, the Health Minister of the ShamState, Abubakir Hamsi, the Russian-born Abubakir Chichan, an ISIS leader, and Abu Fatima, the head of Nineveh Finance, as well as Ahmed Zyad, the head of the Nineveh Health Office, were killed,” the agency said in the released footage.

The Furqan Battalion, formed two months ago, included experts at making ammunition, bombs, chemical weapons and poison substances.

Up to 65 ISIS militants were killed and wounded during the operation, according to the footage. The video came after Coalition forces said on Saturday (February 18) that a building believed to be an ISIS command center in western Mosul was destroyed on Friday (February 17) in an air strike conducted by the U.S.-led Coalition.

The Coalition said the building, situated in a main medical complex in western Mosul, was used as a control and military command center by ISIS.

“The Coalition was able to determine through intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance efforts that ISIS did not use the building for any medical purposes and that civilians were no longer accessing the site,” the Coalition said in a statement provided to NRT.

(NRT)

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Tens of Prisoners Escape IS in West Mosul After Coalition Airstrike

19 February 2017
Tens of Prisoners Escape IS in West Mosul After Coalition Airstrike 
MOSUL — Tens of prisoners held by the Islamic State (IS) militants in western Mosul fled after heavy airstrikes dispersed the extremists from the site, a security source said.

Iraqi army commander Abdulsalam Jabouri revealed that the airstrike took place as part of the western Mosul operation on Sunday, in Wadi Akab neighborhood of west Mosul.

He did not specify the number of escapees, but stated that the IS checkpoints and administration facilities were all destroyed, with many jihadists killed.

Earlier the day, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced a large-scale military operation aiming at the liberation of western bank of Tigris River in Mosul.

Latest reports indicated significant territorial gains in the west of the major city and around Tel Afar district.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/331457

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350 Children, Youths Trapped in West Mosul

 

20 February 2017

350 Children, Youths Trapped in West Mosul 
 

SEATLE — Approximately 350 children and youths are in western Mosul without an option to flee, according to Save the Children, an international non-governmental organization based in London.

"Families in western Mosul tell us escape is not an option, if they try to flee they risk summary execution by ISIS fighters or a gauntlet of sniper fire and landmines. Last week we heard of a family of nine who were all shot as they tried to flee. People trapped in their homes are running out of food, water and medicine," Maurizio Crivallero, Save the Children's Iraq Country Director said, using another acronym for the Islamic State (IS). 

"This is the grim choice for children in western Mosul right now: bombs, crossfire and hunger if they stay,- or execution and snipers if they try to run," he added.

Due to the dense, old architecture of western Mosul, a detonation could indiscriminately harm many of the residents in this heavily populated area. The fight in western Mosul will prove more deleterious to its residents, according to Crivallero.

"The impact of artillery and other explosive weaponry in those narrow, densely-populated streets is likely to be more deadly and indiscriminate than anything we have seen in the conflict so far," Crivallero highlighted.

The anti-IS coalition should be highly cautious. Moreover, establishing escape routes for civilians as soon as possible should be of paramount importance, according to Crivallero. 

"Iraqi forces and their allies, including the US and UK, must do everything in their power to protect children and their families from harm, and avoid civilian buildings like schools and hospitals as they push deeper into the city. To a child it doesn't matter where the bombs come from,- it's where they fall," Crivallero said in his closing. 

However, whether the launch of the second half of the operation to the western part of the city will be more cautious than the eastern part, where hospitals have been targeted by coalition anti-IS forces on more than one occasion, remains to be seen. 

The operation to free Mosul from the IS militants began on October 17 of the previous year. On January 24, the Iraqi government announced the liberation of the eastern half of the city. Today began the offensive in the western part of the city.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/331473

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US Pays Tribute to Peshmerga Sacrifices: Official

19 February 2017

US Pays Tribute to Peshmerga Sacrifices: Official
 

ERBIL — The US Special Presidential Envoy for Global Coalition to Counter Islamic State (IS), Brett McGurk has reiterated his country’s support for Peshmerga forces, saying they pay tribute to the sacrifices made by the Kurdish forces.

Following a meeting with Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani on Sunday, the US official reiterated that the Erbil-Washington ties will remain strong during the Trump administration.

In a tweet on his official account, McGurk highlighted the participation of Peshmerga commander Mohammed Haji Mahmoud in the meeting, who lost his son in the war against IS.

 

16830433_1939599666263690_203463967_n.pn

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/world/331462

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Revealed: ISIS to flee to Iran to regain strength in battle for Mosul

February 19 2017 09:58 PM
ISIS to flee to Iran to regain strength in battle for Mosul
ISIS to flee to Iran to regain strength in battle for Mosul

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced on Sunday the launch of a military operation to retake the western bank of Mosul from ISIS terrorist group but the military operation is not that easy especially that it will be faced by various threats, experts told The Baghdad Post on Sunday.
 

There are 3 million people who are living in the Mosul city in which they are afraid from Iraqi forces and al-Hashd Shiite militias (IMIS) revenge especially that its commanders had threatened the residents of Mosul in the past period.

Maliki hopes Abadi will fail in regaining Mosul city


Image1_220171921574940670473.png

A lot of parties and politicians in Iraq, including former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, hope that Iraqi joint forces will fail in retaking the Mosul city from ISIS terrorist group, well-informed sources told The Baghdad Post.

Maliki knows for sure that if Abadi succeeded in regaining the Mosul city, his dream to return to the prime minister's post is over.

He knows that if Abadi succeeded, Iraqi people will consider him a hero who saved them from the terrorist group and that they will reinstall him for additional period as Iraq's prime minister and leader.

Maliki wished that the retaking of the Mosul city will be delayed several months until he incite Iraqi people against Abadi via his terrorist allies who bomb various areas in the country in which hundreds of people were killed while thousands were injured, sources told The Baghdad Post.

This plots and bombs aim to mislead the Iraqi people and distract them away from Iraqi joint forces' victories against ISIS in Mosul.

ISIS withdraw to Iran after deal to protect its leaders


Image1_2201719215742267872204.png

ISIS terrorist group is ready for the battle for Mosul, experts told The Baghdad Post, adding that the battle is expected to last for several weeks.

They underlined that ISIS terrorist group may reach a deal with the Mullah's regime to enable it to flee to Iran in order to save the terrorist group's leaders. The experts also said that the group will be used by Tehran later to destabilize Iraq.

Obstacles facing the battle for Mosul


Image1_2201719215824499052860.png

The current battle for Mosul is faced with various obstacles especially that the United Nations has announced that thousands of residents of the western areas of the Mosul city are running out of the basic supplies.

Experts also pointed out that the regaining of western areas is more difficult than the regaining of the eastern areas because its streets is narrower than the streets of the other half of the highly-populated city.

Earlier, Abadi said in a brief televised address: “we announce the start of a new phase in the operation, we are coming to Nineveh to liberate the western side of Mosul”.

Iraqi jets have dropped millions of leaflets in western Mosul, calling on residents to get ready to welcome the Iraqi troops as they continue the siege on the militants.

The latest operation to free the city from the terrorists began on October 17. After months of fighting, the coalition managed to secure the right bank of the city last month. The densely-populated west bank of Mosul is now the operation's target.

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/6246/Revealed-ISIS-to-flee-to-Iran-to-regain-strength-in-battle-for-Mosul

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Islamic State execute 4 members on charges of cowardice west of Mosul

 

by 6f179dd84f6766787386163fcfc86f98?s=80&d= Loaa Adel Feb 19, 2017, 6:32 pm

Islamic State execute 4 members on charges of cowardice west of Mosul
 

 

Islamic State execute 4 members on charges of cowardice west of Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) The Islamic State group executed four of its members on charges of cowardice, west of Mosul, a source told Alsumaria News on Sunday.

The source said, “The Islamic State group executed four of its members, including a teenager, in Wadi Akab area, west of Mosul, on charges of cowardice and leaving their positions during the ongoing battles.”

“The extremist group was surprised by the significant collapse among its ranks during the battle to liberate western Mosul,” the source added on condition of anonymity.

“The Islamic State started to execute its members to stop the collapse among its ranks,” the source further explained.

Earlier today, Islamic State accused citizens in western Mosul of treason as many defied calls to join the fight against government forces, which started an offensive to drive out the extremist group

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/islamic-state-execute-4-members-charges-cowardice-west-mosul/

Edited by tigergorzow
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IS members immediately evacuate their families from western Mosul

by 6f179dd84f6766787386163fcfc86f98?s=80&d= Loaa Adel Feb 19, 2017, 5:02 pm

IS members immediately evacuate their families from western Mosul
 
 

 

Islamic State’s members.

 

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Nineveh Province revealed that the Islamic State’s fighters started to immediately evacuate their families from western Mosul neighborhoods, Alsumaria News reported on Sunday.

The source said, “Immediate evacuation of dozens of the Islamic State’s families started in some neighborhoods of western Mosul, especially near the stationing points of the security forces.”

“The evacuation is an evidence that these neighborhoods will fall soon, after the collapse of the nearby Islamic State’s defense lines,” the source added on condition of anonymity.

Earlier today, Prime Minister and General Commander of Armed Forces Haider al-Abadi announced launching the battle to liberate western Mosul from the Islamic State’s grip.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/islamic-state-immediately-evacuate-families-western-mosul/

Edited by tigergorzow
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IS rattled as Iraqi flags mysteriously raised at western Mosul, close old city

by a46ed14a8c1d95162d7b6827eedc1639?s=80&d= Mohamed Mostafa Feb 19, 2017, 2:17 pm

 
Islamic-State-flag-in-Mosul-728x410.jpg
 
 

 

Islamic State flag in Mosul.

 

 

Nineveh (Islamic State) Islamic State militants besieged three buildings in eastern Mosul after unknown individuals raised the Iraqi flag above them, and closed streets of the old city as security forces began invading the region.

A local source told Alsumaria News that Islamic State militants encircled three buildings in western Mosul after they were surprised with three Iraqi flags hanging above. “It is not yet known who did it, but all indications suggest they were indignant young men opposed to Daesh (Islamic State),” according to the source.

Another source said the extremist group tightly blocked the alleyways of the Old City, deploying heavily-armed vehicles across the area and turning it into a military bunker.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a brief announcement on Sunday that security forces launched an operation to retake the western side of Mosul, Islamic State militants’ largest stronghold in Iraq which the group took over in 2014. He said on January 24th that government forces, backed by popular militias and U.S.-led coalition troops, had cleared the whole of the eastern region from militants after more than three months of fighting.

Recapturing Mosul would represent the strongest blow to Islamic State’s proclaimed “Islamic Caliphate”. Iraqi and international coalition generals had predicted the western part of the city to be fully recaptured within six months, while the United Nations predicted 250.000 civilians to be displaced by the fighting.

Military media said earlier on Sunday that army and Federal Police forces recaptured six villages and a major power station near the western shore of the Tigris River.

http://www.iraqinews.com/features/rattled-iraqi-flags-mysteriously-raised-western-mosul-close-old-city/

Edited by tigergorzow
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8 Islamic State militants dead as coalition airstrikes target western Mosul districts

by a46ed14a8c1d95162d7b6827eedc1639?s=80&d= Mohamed Mostafa Feb 19, 2017, 12:52 pm

NB-194673-636222303228771466.jpg
 
 

 

Airstrike by the US-led international coalition aircraft.

 

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Eight Islamic State militants were killed and 20 were injured when fighter jets from the U.S.-led international military coalition bombed their locations in western Mosul as operations launched to retake that area.

A medical source was quoted by Shafaaq news website saying the airstrikes targeted the militants in the districts of Yarmouk and Wadi Akab in the west of the city.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a brief announcement on Sunday that security forces launched an operation to retake the western side of Mosul, Islamic State militants’ largest stronghold in Iraq which the group took over in 2014. He said on January 24th that government forces, backed by popular militias and U.S.-led coalition troops, had cleared the whole of the eastern region from militants after more than three months of fighting.

Recapturing Mosul would represent the strongest blow to Islamic State’s proclaimed “Islamic Caliphate”. Iraqi and international coalition generals had predicted the western part of the city to be fully recaptured within six months, while the United Nations predicted 250.000 civilians to be displaced by the fighting.

Military media said earlier on Sunday that army and Federal Police forces recaptured six villages and a major power station near the western shore of the Tigris River.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/8-islamic-state-militants-dead-airstrikes-target-western-mosul-districts/

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1 hour ago, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

:lmao: You can run but you can't hide. What, do they actually think that Iran isn't on the short list to get a regime change? :lmao:

Yes Sir, my friend from Iran was telling me the good Kurdish people living in Iran are seeing their fellow Kurds doing Wayyy better in iraqi- kurdistan, so they are all sick and tired of the regime inside their country. Very few Iranian citizens support their corrupt politicians., scared of being over thrown...NE wayz Kim did prophecy that north Korea and Iran would fight and implode from within. Still waitin for that promise. #THEWAITISOVER!

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of the joint forces are making rapid progress in the battle of Ayman Mosul and liberate new villages

Joint forces are making rapid progress in the battle of Ayman Mosul and liberate new villages

 

     
 
 12 Hours Ago
 

 

Twilight News / According to the commander of operations "are coming Aaninoy" Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Allah Yar on Sunday that the joint forces continued their advance in the surrounding areas in the right coast of the city of Mosul to regain control over new villages.

Lt. Gen. Aarallah said in a statement responded to the Twilight News, the ninth Armored Division liberated the villages of Husseiniya, and Sheikh Yunis and Aharakiet west coast right and raised the Iraqi flag over the buildings after the incurrence of the "enemy" losses in lives and equipment.

He added that Abbas brigade combat the popular crowd and Brigade 36 Armored Division liberated the ninth Tel Kisom, adding pieces of the band arrived at the outskirts of the mountains thirsty series.

 

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Iraq Starts Offensive to Retake Western Mosul From ISIS

By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI and FALIH HASSANFEB. 19, 2017

Iraqi forces resumed efforts to retake ul from the Islamic State on Sunday, launching airstrikes on the western part of the city where hundreds of thousands of civilians are still trapped.
Photo by Khalid Al-Mousily/Reuters. Watch in Times Video »

ERBIL, Iraq — Iraq opened the next chapter in its offensive to drive the Islamic State out of Mosul on Sunday, preparing an assault on the western half of the city. Overnight, planes carpeted the ground with leaflets, directly appealing to the group’s fighters to surrender.

“To those of you who were intrigued by the ISIS ideology,” one of the leaflets said, “this is your last opportunity to quit your work with ISIS and to leave those foreigners who are in your homeland. Stay at home, raising the white flags as the forces approach.”

On state-run television, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the beginning of the offensive, describing it as “a new dawn” and calling on his troops “to move bravely forward to liberate what is left of the city.”

The Islamic State has held Mosul as its de facto Iraqi capital for more than two years, and it is the group’s last urban stronghold. Retaking the entire city, in what is expected to be a monthslong campaign, would be a huge victory for Iraqi troops.

The assault is taking place amid concerns about the condition of hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the western part of the city. Food, water and cooking fuel have all been reported to be in short supply, and residents have described increased harassment from Islamic State fighters preparing for the attack.

The overall push to free Mosul, once Iraq’s second-largest city, began in October, with local troops pushing from the east into the city’s geographically larger but more sparsely populated eastern half. In late January, they reached the banks of the Tigris River, which bisects Mosul, and declared the city’s eastern section liberated.

The operation took longer than expected and took a high toll on civilians and the Iraqi forces, but much of the city’s infrastructure was preserved, and a sense of daily life has returned. That is in contrast to the operations to take back other cities, including Ramadi and Sinjar, which were decimated by airstrikes. More than a year after Sinjar was freed, even its mayor has not been able to return.

The fight for Mosul’s western half could be even more protracted than the fight for its east. The west is home to neighborhoods of narrow streets, some so small that it will not be possible for Iraqi troops to enter in their fortified Humvees. That may make the Islamic State’s signature suicide bomb attacks even more effective.

Because all five of the bridges spanning the Tigris have been bombed, Iraqi troops will trace a circuitous path to western Mosul, initially approaching it from the south.

Officials said the first objective would be Mosul International Airport, just south of the city. By midday on Sunday, Iraqi forces had captured a string of nearby villages and advanced within six miles of the airfield, officers said.

American forces are supporting the operation. “The U.S. forces continue in the same role as they did in east Mosul,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters traveling with him on Sunday, adding that the rules of engagement for American troops in Iraq had not changed. “We are very close to, if not already engaged in, that fight,” he said.

Mr. Mattis added that the American-backed coalition fighting the Islamic State would “continue with the accelerated effort to destroy” the group.

Anticipating the offensive, the Islamic State damaged the Mosul airport, carving wide trenches into the runways and adjacent taxiways and aprons, leaving no paved portion usable for aircraft, according to an analysis of satellite imagery by Stratfor, a global intelligence company.

While the airport may be unusable, taking it would still be a milestone for the offensive, as would taking the adjacent hilltop village of Abu Saif, which sits at a higher elevation than Mosul. Because of the Islamic State’s heavy use of snipers, securing high ground is crucial, and Iraqi forces were nearing the base of the hill by Sunday afternoon.

The troops’ push into western Mosul will be further complicated by the Islamic State’s vast network of tunnels throughout the city, which allow fighters to hide from overhead surveillance. And the group is increasingly using armed drones to spot and remotely bomb advancing Iraqi troops.

Yahya Salah, whose neighborhood in eastern Mosul was liberated in November, described how Iraqi troops were just streets away when Islamic State fighters forced their way into his home, armed with a jackhammer. They herded Mr. Salah’s family into one of the bedrooms. From behind the closed door, Mr. Salah said, he heard a deafening sound and realized the fighters were drilling a hole.

“They worked without stopping — when one got tired, another took over, and they dug a hole that was 1.5 meters wide,” said Mr. Salah, who said his family had been locked in the bedroom for three days. “When we said we were thirsty, they threw water bottles at us.”

He said the fighters had left at noon on the final day. The Iraqi Army arrived at sunset and unlocked the door. When the family stepped into the rest of their house, they found ceiling-high piles of dirt in three of their four bedrooms and a hole in the living room floor. The tunnel the fighters had dug stretched for dozens of yards, allowing the terrorist group’s foot soldiers to slip away.

Residents have shown reporters similar tunnels throughout the eastern part of the city, and officials expect the same in western Mosul. A photo essay published this weekend by the Islamic State, titled “Life of Fighters South of Mosul,” shows militants cooking a meal on a kerosene stove, reading the Quran and praying inside a tunnel wide enough for five men to stand side by side.

At the same time, the Islamic State has become better at the use of small drones, which are available off the shelf in malls across the region, including in Erbil, the nearest major city to Mosul. They use the drones to pinpoint army positions and to target them, and recently recovered Islamic State documents show how the group has cobbled together its own drone program. Iraqi forces say they frequently see the aircraft, two to four feet long, overhead, whining like lawn mowers. Then, 30 minutes later, they take incoming fire at that location.

“Mosul would be a tough fight for any army in the world, and the Iraqi forces have risen to the challenge,” Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of the American-led effort against the Islamic State, said in a news release from United States Central Command announcing the beginning of the operation. Some of the 450 American advisers on the ground in Iraq are helping Iraqi officers plan and carry out the offensive.

Reached by telephone, residents in western Mosul described the elation they felt at the approach of government troops. “All we have left to eat is tomato paste. We are eating it with salt,” said Umm Anwar, 41, who asked to be identified only by her nickname. “We are ready to kill ISIS ourselves with knives, or by biting them, because we are in so much pain.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/world/middleeast/iraq-starts-offensive-to-retake-western-mosul-from-isis.html?_r=0

Edited by tigergorzow
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Iraqi forces launch large-scale push to retake western Mosul from ISIS

Published February 19, 2017
 
 

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces launched a large-scale military operation on Sunday to retake the western half of Mosul and dislodge Islamic State militants. It is the latest phase in a 4-month-old offensive to retake Iraq’s second largest city.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of the operation on state TV, saying government forces were moving to "liberate the people of Mosul from Daesh oppression and terrorism forever," using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. He called on security forces to deal with civilians properly and to respect human rights.

Iraqi forces declared eastern Mosul “fully liberated” last month, however ISIS militants continued to launch attacks there. Hours after the latest operation was announced, suicide bombers struck troops and pro-government Sunni militiamen in eastern Mosul.

"ISIS's cruelty, brutality and reach show they are not just a threat in Iraq and Syria, but to the region and the entire world," said Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, in a statement.

Plumes of smoke were seen rising into the sky early Sunday morning as U.S.-led coalition jets struck militant positions southwest of Mosul and militarized Iraqi police fired artillery toward the city. Heavily armed police units were getting ready to move north with their armored vehicles from a base just southwest of the city.

"This is zero hour and we are going to end this war, God willing," said Mahmoud Mansour, a police officer, as he prepared to move out.

The battle for western Mosul promises to be the most daunting yet, as the half of the city west of the Tigris River has older, narrower streets and is still home to hundreds of thousands of civilians, who have been told to shelter in place.

"Mosul would be a tough fight for any army in the world, and the Iraqi forces have risen to the challenge," said Townsend. "They have taken the fight to the enemy and sacrificed their blood for the people of Iraq and the rest of the world."

The immediate objective was to take the villages on the southern outskirts of Mosul airport, a police spokesman told The Associated Press. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

Police units quickly moved into the village of Athba, about 3 miles (5 kilometers) southwest of the airport, encountering only light resistance, according to an AP reporter traveling with them. Separately, the army's 9th Division moved into the village of Bakhira, also southwest of the city, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said.

The United Nations meanwhile warned that hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped inside their houses "are at extreme risk," with dwindling fuel and food supplies and scare drinking water and electricity.

"The situation is distressing. People, right now, are in trouble," Lise Grande, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said in a statement. "We are hearing reports of parents struggling to feed their children and to heat their homes," Grande said.

Citing witnesses in western Mosul, the U.N. said nearly half of all food shops were closed and bakeries had shut down due to a lack of fuel and an inability to purchase costly flour. Prices of kerosene and cooking gas have skyrocketed, and many of the most destitute families are burning wood, furniture, plastic or garbage for cooking and heating.

"Three out of five people now depend on untreated water from wells for cooking and drinking as water systems and treatment plants have been damaged by fighting or run out of chlorine," said Peter Hawkins, of the U.N. agency for children.

The humanitarian agencies were gearing up to aid 250,000 to 400,000 civilians who may flee due to fighting, the statement said. The U.N. estimates that about 750,000 civilians may be left in western Mosul.

Iraqi forces spent three months driving ISIS from eastern Mosul, but the militants appear to have left sleeper cells to carry out attacks behind the front lines.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, an Iraqi military spokesman, said a suicide bomber set off struck a patrol of Sunni tribal fighters in Zihoor neighborhood, while another targeted Iraqi troops in Nabi Younis.

Rasool declined to provide casualty figures. Two policemen said one Sunni fighter was killed and nine wounded in the first attack, while the second attack wounded five soldiers. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

Iraqi special operations forces, regular army and federal police units are taking part in the offensive along with government-approved paramilitary forces, mainly consisting of Shiite militias, which are operating on the city's outskirts.

Mosul fell to ISIS in the summer of 2014, along with large swaths of northern and western Iraq. It is the extremist group's last major urban bastion in Iraq.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/02/19/iraqi-forces-launch-push-to-retake-western-half-mosul-from-isis.html

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1 hour ago, WaitIsOver said:

Yes Sir, my friend from Iran was telling me the good Kurdish people living in Iran are seeing their fellow Kurds doing Wayyy better in iraqi- kurdistan, so they are all sick and tired of the regime inside their country. Very few Iranian citizens support their corrupt politicians., scared of being over thrown...NE wayz Kim did prophecy that north Korea and Iran would fight and implode from within. Still waitin for that promise. #THEWAITISOVER!

Kim?

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