Mosul update

[tigergorzow]

Hashd al-Shaabi Opens Tens of Offices in Mosul

Basnews English

21/04/2017 - 00:45

Iraq

 

 

ERBIL — As part of the Mosul operation, the Iraqi Shi’ite militias of Hashd al-Shaabi have entered the predominantly-Sunni city in north of Iraq and opened dozens of offices which locals consider as a threat.

According to the information BasNews has obtained from the residents of of Mosul, the Sunni Arabs and Christians are concerned about the move, fearing an uncertain future after the Islamic State (IS) is defeated in their city.

The Shi’ite militias, who are in Iraqi Federal Police uniforms, reportedly carry out arbitrary arrests, kidnappings and killings of people in the liberated districts of Mosul. The rate of looting civilian properties has also increased as the Iraqi army and police forces have no authority over the Shi’ite militias.

Said to be a plan to change the demography of the Sunni city, the Hashd al-Shaabi militias are also forcing locals to sell their properties. The Shi’ite group is largely funded by both the governments of Iran and Iraq. 

Some of the offices belonging to different components of Hashd al-Shaabi in Mosul with the people in charge, and exact locations are as following:

1. Shahid Sadr: Led by Abdullah Mahmoud A’raji. Opened offices in the districts of Bartella, Sukar, Ta’mim, Somar and Qadisiyah.

2.Badr Forces: Led by Mohammed Sa’id Ta’ei. Opened offices in the districts of Bartella, Somar, Wahda, Jazaeer, and the villages of Shrekhan, Sada and Bu’awezah.

3. Islamic High Council: Led by Mohammed Ibrahim. Opened offices in districts of Bartella, Ta’mim and Arichiya.

4. Asaeb Ahl al-Haqq: Opened offices in districts of Quds, Karama, Ta’mim as well as in the village of Bu’awezah.

5. Shabak Democratic Group: Led by Hanin Qado. Opened offices in the districts of Ali Rash, Tahrir, Ta’mim, Karama, Quds, and the villages of Gopjali, Sada and Bu’awezah.

6. Dawa Islamic Party led by Nouri al-Maliki: opened an office in Intisar and Hamdaniyah.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/344587

[tigergorzow]

In Army Uniforms Shi'ite Forces Establish Their Offices in Mosul

Military expert says Hashd militias enforce Iran's agenda for Shi'ite Crescent

• 
   

Basnews English

20/04/2017 - 20:44

Reports

 

 

 

ERBIL— In the liberated areas of the mainly Sunni city of Mosul, the Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces have opened a number of offices which a military expert describes as a threat against Mosul residents after the elimination of Islamic State (IS).  

An informed military source from Mosul told BasNews that most of the parties in the Shi'ite or Hashd mosaic, especially the extremist groups as Asaeb Ahl al-Haqq, have in military uniforms entered Mosul and its surroundings and opened a number of their offices.

The source who preferred anonymity said from their offices the Shi'ite militants attack civilians and kidnap Sunnis.

"In addition, an extensive burglary and plunder has emerged which the Iraqi army does not have any control over due to the militants in Hashd offices," the source said.

According to the source, in the devastated disadvantaged areas of Mosul, where people strive to feed themselves, Hasdh militants put further pressure on the residents to sell their premises to Shi'ite forces.

He added Asaeb Ahl al-Haqq, backed by the Iraqi government's financial support, and under a pre-planned design is purchasing land and premises across Mosul and is establishing Shi'ite hussainias in the Sunni dominated neighborhoods.

"Hashd is under the influence of Iran and Iraqi Shi'ites and enforces the agendas it has been tasked with, which dies confine to Iraq and Mosul but the entire areas in which Shi'ite live as Yemen, Lebanon, Syria… the Shi'ite Crescent," according to political and military expert Brig. Mohyaddin Yunis. 

Once IS is eliminated in Mosul, Hashd's agenda will take place, Yunis said, relating Hashd offices to Iran's wish for having a stronghold in the city to facilitate the Shi'ite Crescent.

Hashd policies are backed by Iraqi VP Nouri al-Maliki who himself is backed by Iran and Iraqi government which strive for "ethnic cleansing of Nineveh province", Yunis noted. 

The military expert indicated that due to financial and religious privileges, Hashd militants have taken over large parts of the Iraqi army. 

Yunis warned the development should be considered by the Kurdish parties, adding Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani had soon alluded to the threat which will prevent the reconstruction and stability of Mosul.

Prior to the major operation to free Mosul, Barzani invited all the components of Mosul to agree on a system to run their city in post-IS era but only Kurds and Christians responded to the call and Shi'ite Turkmen and Sunni Arabs did not step forward for a solution. 

The Shi'ite forces assembled under Hashd umbrella are charged with war crimes, violations of human rights and "wild retaliation" against Sunnis in the liberated area, by local and international human rights organizations.   

 http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/reports/344558

[tigergorzow]

Mosul Operation: Over 1,600 Injured People Received Medical Treatment in Erbil in 5 Months

 

Basnews English

21/04/2017 - 00:41

Kurdistan

 

 

 

ERBIL — In response to previous reports which claimed Kurdistan Region is not providing necessary health service to IDPs and injured people from the Mosul assault, a Kurdish official has stated 1,693 injured people from the operation have received medical attention within the last five months only.

Head of the Committee for Monitoring International Reports, Dindar Zebari, said Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) since the eruption of IS rampage and the arrival of IDPs, have made outmost efforts to provide hundreds of thousands of the newcomers with both safety and services. He pointed out that the task has put pressure on Erbil.

However, according to Zebari, every IDP camp in Kurdistan Region is provided with a health centre and those suffering form emergency cases will be transferred to hospitals in Erbil for medical attention.

“The injured people of the Mosul operation are receiving medical treatment in Kurdistan Region’s hospitals on a daily basis. Between 17th October 2016 and 12th March 2017, a total number of 1,693 injured people were treated in Erbil hospitals only,” Zebari stated, noting that the hospitals also provided medical attention to 15 people who were exposed to chemical substances used by IS in Mosul clashes.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/kurdistan/344586

[tigergorzow]

IS Chemical Weapons Chief Killed by Iraqi Artillery Fire

Four more IS chiefs were killed in Western Mosul

• 
   

Basnews English

20/04/2017 - 19:08

Iraq

 

 

 

 

ERBIL— Five chiefs of the Islamic State (IS) organization have been killed west of Mosul, an Iraqi Federal Police commander confirmed on Thursday.

Federal Police forces shelled a headquarter of the organization in Zanjil neighborhood and IS chief for chemical weapons Abu Ahmed Gaz was killed in the attack, said Col. Shakir Jawdat.

Abdullah Husseini, the minister for IS Alms Council who was close to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and Khalid Ali Nada, better known as Abu Hussein, were also killed in the artillery attack west of Mosul.

Jawdat added Abu Barra Daghestani, an IS military chief, and his aide Abdulrrahman Zummari were also killed by Federal Police forces near the fifth bridge in the northern part of Old Mosul.

The intelligence information on whereabouts of the militants was obtained from the drones flown on the battlefields, said Maj. Karim Ziyan, an officer from Federal Police.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/344535

[tigergorzow]

Kurdistan Security Council Announces Death of Two IS Chiefs

They were killed by airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

 

Basnews English

20/04/2017 - 18:47

News

 

 

ERBIL— The Counter-Terrorism of the Kurdistan Region's Security Council confirmed in a statement on Thursday that two Islamic State (IS) chiefs were killed in the airstrikes conducted by coalition forces.

According to the statement, IS chief of media, Khalid Hamza Al-Maamouri, was killed in a targetedairstrike in Syria on 16 April.

Maamouri, known as Abu al-Janoubi, was also an IS Emir of Amin for a brigade of the IS General Security Dept. (Diwan).

IS security chief, Ammar Hassan Mohamed Hassan, also known as Abu Nabil, was also killed in  the coalition airstrikes on Riyaz-Hawija road in April 17.

Nine other IS militants were also killed in the strike south of Kirkuk, Iraq. 

 

IS chief of media, Khalid Hamza Al-Maamouri

 

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/344530

[tigergorzow]

Pictures: Kurdish Regiment in Iraqi Army Fends off IS Attack in Southeast Mosul

Nine IS militants were killed

• 
   

Basnews English

20/04/2017 - 14:25

Iraq

 

 

 

MOSUL — Regiment 91 of Brigade 15 of the Iraqi army, consisting of Kurdish soldiers, repelled an offensive of Islamic State (IS) militants near Shirqat district in southeast of Mosul.

Hameed Dizayee, an officer from the Regiment 91 told BasNews that the IS militants conducted an attack against Brigade 1 and 2 of the Regiment 91 in Haji Ali area located between Qayyara and Shirqat in southeast of Mosul late on Wednesday.

The militants' attack was countered by the Iraqi troops and soon was fended off with nine extremists killed including an IS leader named Mahir Khomaistai. All the militants' bodies were left behind, he said.

Regiment 91 was part of the Peshmerga forces before joining the Iraqi defense ministry after the Iraqi army was re-established following the fall of former Iraqi Baathist regime in 2003.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/344469

[tigergorzow]

Airstrike Kills Dozens of IS Militants West of Mosul

Mira Rojkan

21/04/2017 - 00:50

Iraq

 

 

 

SOFIA — Dozens of Islamic State (IS) members were killed in an airstrike west of Mosul, which further destroyed four explosives plants belonging to the extremist group, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense's War Media Cell said on Thursday. 

According to a statement released by the media cell, an F16 fighter jets carried out several airstrikes on the district of Tel Afar, destroying three explosive plants and a hideout belonging to the IS, as well as killing dozens of the group's militants, IraqiNews reported. 

The statement continued by saying that an airstrike also destroyed a fourth explosives plant in the al-Mahlabiyah area, west of Mosul. The airstrike was conducted by the coalition forces based on accurate information obtained from the ‘We Are Coming, Nineveh’ Intelligence Cell.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/344588

[tigergorzow]

More IS Militants Surrendering to Peshmerga: Official

 

Basnews English

21/04/2017 - 00:33

Kurdistan

 

 

KIRKUK — A growing number of Islamic State (IS) militants are surrendering to Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Kirkuk province as the group is approaching its end in Iraq, a local Kurdish security official said.

Kirkuk Chief of Police, Sarhad Qadir, said more jihadists are now abandoning the extremist group and they surrender to the Kurdish forces who are also leading intensified operations to capture the sleeper cells inside the province.

He told BasNews that a number of the insurgents have admitted their participation in executions of Kurdish Peshmerga forces whom were taken captive by IS.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/kurdistan/344585

[ChuckFinley]

I am glad to see that they are killing off the leadership.  

[gregp]

59 minutes ago, ChuckFinley said:

I am glad to see that they are killing off the leadership.  

Agreed

[ChuckFinley]

21 minutes ago, gregp said:

Agreed

With you  and a Green Emeral. 

[tigergorzow]

Iraqi forces recapture western Mosul district, advance in others

 

by Mohamed Mostafa Apr 20, 2017, 10:05 am

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Military vehicles of federal police are seen during a battle with Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, March 6, 2017. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani – RTS11N8V

 

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi government forces on Thursday took over al-Thawra district in western Mosul, ending four days of intense encounters with Islamic State militants.

The announcement by the Joint Operations Command came hours after forces recaptured al-Thawra al-Oula, a first section of the neighborhood. The troops invaded the area on Friday.

The army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service also said its forces were advancing further at al-Tenek and al-Sihha districts.

 

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Sihha district, west of Mosul.

Iraqi forces recaptured the eastern side of Mosul in January after three months of fighting with Islamic State, and sat on a new offensive in February to retake the western region. Commanders said earlier this month that the Islamic State was controlling only less than seven percent of Iraqi territory, and that only six districts were still witnessing IS presence.

Islamic State has lost many of its senior commanders since operations launched to retake the western side of Mosul. Officials from the U.S.-led coalition estimate the number of remaining militants in Mosul by less than 1000.

The conflict in Mosul has so far displaced more than half a million of the city’s population, according to the Iraqi government and the United Nations.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/iraqi-forces-recapture-al-thawra-district-western-mosul/

[tigergorzow]

IS members including leaders, Baghdadi’s relative killed in western Mosul

 

by Nehal Mostafa Apr 20, 2017, 1:17 pm

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Federal police members aim their weapons at a man, whom they thought was a member of Islamic State but later turned out to be mentally handicapped, during a battle with Islamic State fighters at Bab al Beed district in the old city of Mosul
REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

 

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Federal Police has declared killing a relative of Islamic State supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and other group leaders in western Mosul.

“The troops targeted IS leaders through shelling,” Lt. Gen. Shaker Jawdat, chief of Federal Police, said in a statement. “The forces killed abu Baraa al-Daghestani, a military official, and his aide abu Abd al-Rahman al-Zemari in al-Jisr al-Khames region, north of the Old City.”

Moreover, Jawdat declared “killing of Abdullah al-Husseini, a relative of Baghdadi, Khaled Ali Nada, minister of zakat, and Blood Judge [executioner judge] called abu Hussein as they were targeted in al-Zanjili district.”

In related news, Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi, known as Public Mobilization Units (PMUs), announced killing five IS members in the west of Mosul.

“The 28th brigade noticed five IS members while trying to infiltrate in the vicinity of Tal Abta within the forces’ operations unit,” the troops said in a statement adding “they were killed immediately.”

Islamic State has lost many of its senior commanders since operations launched to retake the western side of Mosul.

On Wednesday, Iraqi security forces announced controlling 30 percent of western Mosul’s Old City.

Iraqi troops, backed by U.S.-led coalition, recaptured eastern Mosul in January after an offensive was launched in mid-October. A new offensive was launched in February to retake the western side of the city.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/members-including-leaders-baghdadis-relative-killed-western-mosul/

[tigergorzow]

ISIS nears defeat in Mosul as Iraqi Army liberates several neighborhoods

By

Chris Tomson

-

20/04/2017

1

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (10:50 P.M.) – This evening in Mosul, the Iraqi Armed Forces liberated the Al-Nasr district and virtually expelled ISIS militants from the neighboring Al-Tanak neighborhood. In addition, the Al-Thawra district was recaptured in the morning hours following an ISIS counter-attack yesterday.

Spearheading the western Mosul operation were the Counter-Terrorism Units while the Rapid Response Division and Iraqi Federal Police provided tactical support.

Remarkably, nearly 100 ISIS insurgents have been neutralized across the Nineveh and Anbar governorates over the past 24 hours, a military source told Al-Masdar News. Tens more were captured alive, including those in the above image.

 

Meanwhile, Amaq Agency claimed that 51 civilians were killed and 55 wounded on Wednesday across residential areas of Mosul city largely due to US airstrikes.

Haidar Al-Abadi, Prime Minister of Iraq, also arrived in Mosul yesterday to boost moral among Iraqi government troops and inspect the frontlines of the northern city.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Iraqi-PM-visits-Mosul.mp4

Around 90% of Mosul is liberated at the moment while an estimated 1,000 ISIS militants remain bogged down inside the northwestern sector of the city.

Counter-insurgency efforts are especially though around the Old City district, neighboring the Tigris River, as ISIS sniper nests, booby traps and narrow streets are proving too much to hand handle for even the most fearsome Iraqi shock troops.

Effectively, the Iraqi High Command has settled for an encirclement strategy instead, aiming to wrestle the infamous Al-Nouri mosque from ISIS militants.

Given the current rate of advance, Mosul will likely be liberated within a few weeks.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-nears-defeat-mosul-iraqi-army-liberates-several-neighborhoods/

[Synopsis]

Here are a couple twitter maps:

[tigergorzow]

Iraqi F16 fighter jets destroy 4 explosives plants in Nineveh

 

by Loaa Adel Apr 20, 2017, 3:46 pm

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Iraqi F16 aircraft. File photo.

 

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Ministry of Defense’s War Media Cell announced, on Thursday, that dozens of the Islamic State members were killed and four explosives plants were destroyed by F16 fighter jets air strikes, west of Mosul.

The cell said in a statement, “Today, F16 fighter jets carried out several air strikes on Tal Afar District, destroying 3 explosives plants and a hideout belonging to the Islamic State, as well as killing dozens of militants.”

“The air strike also destroyed another explosives plant in al-Mahlabiyah area, west of Mosul,” the statement added.

The statement also revealed that the air strike was carried out based on accurate information obtained from ‘We Are Coming, Nineveh’ Intelligence Cell.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/iraqi-f16-fighter-jets-destroy-4-explosives-plants-nineveh/

[tigergorzow]

Iraqi forces liberate new neighborhood in west Mosul

By

Leith Fadel

-

20/04/2017

0

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:45 A.M.) – The Iraqi Army, alongside the Federal Police forces, liberated a new district inside the western sector of Mosul, local activists reported on Thursday.

According to the reports from Mosul, the Iraqi Armed Forces liberated the Al-Thuwrah Neighborhood after several days of intense clashes with the Islamic State (ISIL) terror organization.

As a result of this advance, the Iraqi Armed Forces are now in control of 60 percent of western Mosul, leaving the Islamic State in poor position to guard the remaining parts of the city.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-forces-liberate-new-neighborhood-west-mosul/

[tigergorzow]

Iraqi troops retakes another district in western Mosul

 

by Nehal Mostafa Apr 20, 2017, 4:43 pm

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Iraqi troops raise the Iraqi flag on a liberated area in Mosul

 

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi troops have freed al-Nasr district in western Mosul, Nineveh Operations declared.

In a statement on Thursday, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah said “The army’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) liberated al-Nasr district in the western side of Mosul before raising the Iraqi flag on its buildings.”

Yarallah indicated inflicting losses in lives and property on the Islamic State.

Earlier on Thursday, the Joint Operations Command declared recapturing al-Thawra district in the west of the city, ending intense encounters with Islamic State militants that started on Friday. The announcement came hours after forces recaptured al-Thawra al-Oula, a first section of the neighborhood.

On Wednesday, Interior Ministry’s Rapid Response forces announced recapturing 30 percent of the Old City. Only six districts in western Mosul are still held by Islamic State as Iraqi troops liberated most of the districts, Counter-Terrorism Service declared on the same day.

Previously,The Joint Operations Command previously said IS militants were only in control over 6.8 percent of territory of Iraq and that government troops were controlling 60 percent of the western side of Mosul.

Iraqi forces took over the eastern side of Mosul in January after three months of fighting with Islamic State. A new offensive was launched in February to retake the western region.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/iraqi-troops-retakes-another-district-western-mosul/

[tigergorzow]

MAPPED: The battle against ISIL

In the past year and a half, ISIL's territory has been shrinking steadily.

Nouran Mohamed El Hilali, Mariya Petkova | 20 Apr 2017 08:06 GMT | ISIS, Syria's Civil War, Iraq, Maps, Middle East

• 15

 

• 

It has been almost three years since the war on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was announced. The US-led offensive has changed realities on the ground, altering the trajectory of the civil war in Syria and shifting the balance of power in Iraq. 

After the Islamic State of Iraq, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, announced its extension into the Levant in March 2013, the group swiftly expanded its territory in eastern Syria. In early 2014 it took over the Syrian city of Raqqa, which was made into its capital and a few months later conquered the Iraqi city of Mosul, where its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in June 2014. Within a year, ISIL took control over most of eastern Syria and about one third of Iraq's territory. 

The unexpectedly rapid expansion of ISIL and the massive influx of foreign fighters to its ranks came as a shock to Western and regional powers. In September 2014, the US announced the formation of an international coalition to fight ISIL and as of February 2017, the Pentagon says it has spent almost $12bn on the anti-ISIL operation. 

In Syria, the US gradually shifted its priorities - and by association that of its allies - away from toppling Bashar al-Assad and towards defeating ISIL. It has funded the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and its umbrella group the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in its fight against ISIL in northern Syria and has encouraged various Syrian opposition groups to focus on ISIL as well. Although Russia has not been part of the anti-ISIL coalition, after its military intervention in Syria, it established a certain degree of coordination with the US. 

In Iraq, following the collapse of the Iraqi army in the face of the advancing ISIL forces, the US chose to back Kurdish forces with funding, training and weapons. It has also come to tolerate the involvement of Iran-backed militias in the fight against ISIL. 

So far the US-coalition has managed to push ISIL out from most of Iraq and it is currently escalating its offensive in Syria. With the battle for Mosul raging on and the battle for Raqqa about to begin, ISIL is losing control over major urban centres. Analysts say that as the armed group loses more territory it will revert back to guerilla-style insurgency in the countryside of Iraq and Syria.

Map of ISIL control in Syria and Iraq [Al Jazeera] http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/04/map-isil-syria-iraq-170413092750456.html

[tigergorzow]

Iraqi forces 'make further gains' against ISIL in Mosul

Army commanders say areas west of the Old City have been recaptured and a senior ISIL operative was killed.

20 Apr 2017 16:05 GMT

 

Almost half a million people have fled Mosul since the start of the operation to push ISIL out [Muhammad Hamed/Reuters]

Iraqi forces have retaken two more neighbourhoods in western Mosul, military commanders have said, as fighting intensifies amid a US-backed offensive to recapture ISIL's last urban stronghold in the country.

"The forces completed the liberation of al-Thawra neighbourhood," Sabah al-Noman, spokesman for the elite Counter-Terrorism Service, told AFP news agency on Thursday.

Mosul: UN humanitarian efforts stretched over influx of IDPs

An officer with federal police forces also deployed in west Mosul confirmed that the neighbourhood, which lies just west of the Old City, had been retaken from ISIL.

The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight against the group nationwide said the Nasr neighbourhood was also retaken on Thursday.

The head of Iraq's federal police, Raed Shakir Jawdat, also said in a statement that Iraqi forces had killed a senior ISIL operative, who had been in charge of chemical weapons for the group in Mosul, in a guided missile strike in the Zanjili neighbourhood.

Air Force Lieutenant-Colonel Ziad Tariq al-Babali told Anadolu news agency that US-led coalition fighter jets had carried out air raids in western Mosul's al-Rifai district, killing at least 17 ISIL fighters and wounding nine others.

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The largest city in northern Iraq, Mosul was captured by ISIL in mid-2014.

Backed by the US-led coalition, a coalition of Iraqi forces launched a huge operation, their largest in years, in mid-October last year to retake Mosul.

Children back to school after ISIL is pushed out of east Mosul

They retook the side of the city that lies east of the Tigris river in January and launched a push on remaining ISIL fighters in western Mosul, which is more densely populated and has seen fierce fighting.

On the west bank, Iraqi forces control southern neighbourhoods and are slowly surrounding the Old City, whose narrow streets are expected to make federal operations very difficult.

Residents who managed to escape from the Old City say that there is almost nothing to eat but flour mixed with water and boiled wheat grain.

---

 

---

The loss of Mosul would be a death blow to the "caliphate" ISIL proclaimed after capturing the city in a massive offensive in June 2014.

According to an Iraqi military spokesman, the group only controls seven percent of Iraq, down from the 40 percent of the national territory over which it ruled three years ago.

The only two other significant towns ISIL still holds are Hawija and Tal Afar. The group also controls territory in remote areas of western Iraq, near the Syrian border.

Iraqi forces on Thursday launched a fresh push against ISIL-held villages there, as part of a months-old operation to retake areas along the Euphrates in western Anbar province.

A senior officer said the forces involved in the operation included the army, local tribal fighters and military advisers from the US-led coalition.

Fighting has killed several thousand civilians and fighters on both sides, according to aid organisations.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/iraqi-forces-gains-isil-mosul-170420143243788.html

 

Edited April 21, 2017 by tigergorzow

[TexasMike1958]

3 minutes ago, tigergorzow said:

Iraqi forces 'make further gains' against ISIL in Mosul

Army commanders say areas west of the Old City have been recaptured and a senior ISIL operative was killed.

20 Apr 2017 16:05 GMT

 

Almost half a million people have fled Mosul since the start of the operation to push ISIL out [Muhammad Hamed/Reuters]

Iraqi forces have retaken two more neighbourhoods in western Mosul, military commanders have said, as fighting intensifies amid a US-backed offensive to recapture ISIL's last urban stronghold in the country.

"The forces completed the liberation of al-Thawra neighbourhood," Sabah al-Noman, spokesman for the elite Counter-Terrorism Service, told AFP news agency on Thursday.

Mosul: UN humanitarian efforts stretched over influx of IDPs

An officer with federal police forces also deployed in west Mosul confirmed that the neighbourhood, which lies just west of the Old City, had been retaken from ISIL.

The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight against the group nationwide said the Nasr neighbourhood was also retaken on Thursday.

The head of Iraq's federal police, Raed Shakir Jawdat, also said in a statement that Iraqi forces had killed a senior ISIL operative, who had been in charge of chemical weapons for the group in Mosul, in a guided missile strike in the Zanjili neighbourhood.

Air Force Lieutenant-Colonel Ziad Tariq al-Babali told Anadolu news agency that US-led coalition fighter jets had carried out air raids in western Mosul's al-Rifai district, killing at least 17 ISIL fighters and wounding nine others.

---

 

---

The largest city in northern Iraq, Mosul was captured by ISIL in mid-2014.

Backed by the US-led coalition, a coalition of Iraqi forces launched a huge operation, their largest in years, in mid-October last year to retake Mosul.

Children back to school after ISIL is pushed out of east Mosul

They retook the side of the city that lies east of the Tigris river in January and launched a push on remaining ISIL fighters in western Mosul, which is more densely populated and has seen fierce fighting.

On the west bank, Iraqi forces control southern neighbourhoods and are slowly surrounding the Old City, whose narrow streets are expected to make federal operations very difficult.

Residents who managed to escape from the Old City say that there is almost nothing to eat but flour mixed with water and boiled wheat grain.

---

 

---

The loss of Mosul would be a death blow to the "caliphate" ISIL proclaimed after capturing the city in a massive offensive in June 2014.

According to an Iraqi military spokesman, the group only controls seven percent of Iraq, down from the 40 percent of the national territory over which it ruled three years ago.

The only two other significant towns ISIL still holds are Hawija and Tal Afar. The group also controls territory in remote areas of western Iraq, near the Syrian border.

Iraqi forces on Thursday launched a fresh push against ISIL-held villages there, as part of a months-old operation to retake areas along the Euphrates in western Anbar province.

A senior officer said the forces involved in the operation included the army, local tribal fighters and military advisers from the US-led coalition.

Fighting has killed several thousand civilians and fighters on both sides, according to aid organisations.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/iraqi-forces-gains-isil-mosul-170420143243788.html

 

Besides the civilian population being affected, the city of Mosul itself will be one big rock pile by the time this is over.  It will take many years to build it back up to what it used to be.

 

[Synopsis]

Here is a more detailed map from 14Apr2017 that shows the districts in more detail:

https://maps.southfront.org/military-situation-in-iraqi-city-of-mosul-on-april-14-2017-map-update/

From the 14Apr2017 map, the listed ISIS areas are:

Al-Tanak

Nahrwan

Industrial District of Wadi Egab

Al-Thawra

Old City of Mosul

Al-Zinjili

Al-Shafaa

Jelaqah

Hay Al-Najjar

17 Tammuz

Kanisah

Mushairafah

These names may or may not correspond to what different news articles state.  From today, the liberated areas are:

al-Thawra

al-Nasr

al-Tanak (virtually freed)

Areas that had air strikes and/or ISIS leaders killed and/or advancements:

Tal Afar

al-Mahlabiyah

al-Jisr al-Khames region, north of the Old City

al-Zanjili

al-Sihha

 

Edited April 21, 2017 by Synopsis

[fancy]

3 hours ago, tigergorzow said:

MAPPED: The battle against ISIL

In the past year and a half, ISIL's territory has been shrinking steadily.

Nouran Mohamed El Hilali, Mariya Petkova | 20 Apr 2017 08:06 GMT | ISIS, Syria's Civil War, Iraq, Maps, Middle East

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• 

It has been almost three years since the war on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was announced. The US-led offensive has changed realities on the ground, altering the trajectory of the civil war in Syria and shifting the balance of power in Iraq. 

After the Islamic State of Iraq, an offshoot of Al-Qaeda, announced its extension into the Levant in March 2013, the group swiftly expanded its territory in eastern Syria. In early 2014 it took over the Syrian city of Raqqa, which was made into its capital and a few months later conquered the Iraqi city of Mosul, where its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate in June 2014. Within a year, ISIL took control over most of eastern Syria and about one third of Iraq's territory. 

The unexpectedly rapid expansion of ISIL and the massive influx of foreign fighters to its ranks came as a shock to Western and regional powers. In September 2014, the US announced the formation of an international coalition to fight ISIL and as of February 2017, the Pentagon says it has spent almost $12bn on the anti-ISIL operation. 

In Syria, the US gradually shifted its priorities - and by association that of its allies - away from toppling Bashar al-Assad and towards defeating ISIL. It has funded the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and its umbrella group the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in its fight against ISIL in northern Syria and has encouraged various Syrian opposition groups to focus on ISIL as well. Although Russia has not been part of the anti-ISIL coalition, after its military intervention in Syria, it established a certain degree of coordination with the US. 

In Iraq, following the collapse of the Iraqi army in the face of the advancing ISIL forces, the US chose to back Kurdish forces with funding, training and weapons. It has also come to tolerate the involvement of Iran-backed militias in the fight against ISIL. 

So far the US-coalition has managed to push ISIL out from most of Iraq and it is currently escalating its offensive in Syria. With the battle for Mosul raging on and the battle for Raqqa about to begin, ISIL is losing control over major urban centres. Analysts say that as the armed group loses more territory it will revert back to guerilla-style insurgency in the countryside of Iraq and Syria.

Map of ISIL control in Syria and Iraq [Al Jazeera] http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/04/map-isil-syria-iraq-170413092750456.html

WOW!  Stay positive, it's gettin done. Yes yes yes, not as fast as we want it. BUT this administration MEANS BUSINESS!!  Things are moving now. We were stagnate with the last Prez, you recognize that.  Iraq will be liberated enough for new business to move in and then confidence of a new future.  Big business will pour in for a piece of the pie and then enough stability for the world to recognize this is the NEW IRAQ!

[jcfrag]

On 4/20/2017 at 5:56 PM, tigergorzow said:

Hashd al-Shaabi Opens Tens of Offices in Mosul

Basnews English

21/04/2017 - 00:45

Iraq

 

 

ERBIL — As part of the Mosul operation, the Iraqi Shi’ite militias of Hashd al-Shaabi have entered the predominantly-Sunni city in north of Iraq and opened dozens of offices which locals consider as a threat.

According to the information BasNews has obtained from the residents of of Mosul, the Sunni Arabs and Christians are concerned about the move, fearing an uncertain future after the Islamic State (IS) is defeated in their city.

The Shi’ite militias, who are in Iraqi Federal Police uniforms, reportedly carry out arbitrary arrests, kidnappings and killings of people in the liberated districts of Mosul. The rate of looting civilian properties has also increased as the Iraqi army and police forces have no authority over the Shi’ite militias.

Said to be a plan to change the demography of the Sunni city, the Hashd al-Shaabi militias are also forcing locals to sell their properties. The Shi’ite group is largely funded by both the governments of Iran and Iraq. 

Some of the offices belonging to different components of Hashd al-Shaabi in Mosul with the people in charge, and exact locations are as following:

1. Shahid Sadr: Led by Abdullah Mahmoud A’raji. Opened offices in the districts of Bartella, Sukar, Ta’mim, Somar and Qadisiyah.

2.Badr Forces: Led by Mohammed Sa’id Ta’ei. Opened offices in the districts of Bartella, Somar, Wahda, Jazaeer, and the villages of Shrekhan, Sada and Bu’awezah.

3. Islamic High Council: Led by Mohammed Ibrahim. Opened offices in districts of Bartella, Ta’mim and Arichiya.

4. Asaeb Ahl al-Haqq: Opened offices in districts of Quds, Karama, Ta’mim as well as in the village of Bu’awezah.

5. Shabak Democratic Group: Led by Hanin Qado. Opened offices in the districts of Ali Rash, Tahrir, Ta’mim, Karama, Quds, and the villages of Gopjali, Sada and Bu’awezah.

6. Dawa Islamic Party led by Nouri al-Maliki: opened an office in Intisar and Hamdaniyah.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/344587

1 step forward, 2 steps backwards.....  If these people are supposedly so religious and good, then why are they such self centered, can't see beyond their nose cry babies. Least we leave out egotistical grandstanding pea brained know-it-all narcissistic, 

 

[okane]

Preach on!!