Mosul update

[tigergorzow]

6,000 soldiers finished training to participate in Mosul operations

April 02 2017 11:18 AM

6,000 have finished their training at Duberdan camp

 

 

A military official from Nineveh Operations command announced that 6,000 local trainees at Duberdan camp in Kurdistan had finished their training and are currently await the government to arm them before participating in the operations to recapture Mosul.
 

Nineveh Operations commander general Najim al-Jabouri seeks to arm the local cops who finished their training as fast as possible, according to military official Zuheir al-Aa'raji.
 

There are continuous military training to cops and Hashid al-Watani, so they can participate on the battles to retake Mosul from ISIS terrorists.

These efforts come as the battle for Mosul enters its last stages in the Old city of Mosul which is inaccessible by military vehicles and requires the knowledge of local residents who know the whereabouts of the city's narrow streets and alleys. 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/8885/6-000-soldiers-finished-training-to-participate-in-Mosul-operations

[tigergorzow]

90,655 displaced residents return to their liberated areas in Mousl

April 02 2017 10:42 AM

Iraqi displaced citizens

 

Ministry of Migration and Displacement revealed in its latest statistic that 90,655 displaced citizens returned to their liberated areas in Mosul.
 

An informed source from the Ministry of Migration and Displacement said that 67,817 displaced citizens returned to the left bank of Mosul and 22,838 returned to the right bank of Mosul.
 

A battle to recapture Mosul, the last ISIS stronghold in Iraq, was launched on October 16^th.

The fierce clashes resulted in a mass exodus of civilians while thousands were trapped in crossfire. 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/8883/90-655-displaced-residents-return-to-their-liberated-areas-in-Mousl

[tigergorzow]

40 ISIS suicide attackers killed in Iraqi air strike in Samarra

April 02 2017 11:55 PM

40 ISIS suicide attackers killed in Iraqi air strike in Samarra

 

 

Up to 40 ISIS suicide attackers were killed on Sunday when Iraqi air forces targeted an ISIS camp and a number of building where they were preparing themselves to attack the pilgrims in Samarra city of Salahuddin governorate, the Iraq war Media Cell said.
 

ISIS terrorist group, which is witnessing overwhelming defeat, plotted to attack the pilgrims in which the terrorists, led by ISIS senior leader Abu Abdel Rahman, prepared 12 suicide bombers and four booby-trapped vehicles.

The Iraqi air strikes killed 25 terrorists inside the camp and 10 others who were hiding inside the ISIS-affiliated buildings, intelligence sources said, adding that two ISIS senior leaders, Abu Abdel Rahman and Abu Dujana, were killed in the raid.

Iraqi Forces launched a major offensive on 19^th of February to retake the western part of Mosul after declaring total control of the eastern part of the city on 24^th of January as part of the military operations to liberate the city that started on 17^th of October 2016

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/8906/40-ISIS-suicide-attackers-killed-in-Iraqi-air-strike-in-Samarra

[tigergorzow]

Iraqi Air Force to bombard ISIS 'outside the borders', says commander

April 02 2017 02:30 PM

Lt Gen. Anwar Hama

 

Iraqi Air Force Commander said on Sunday the Iraqi army would not hesitate to bombard ISIS terrorists outside the Iraqi border, The Baghdad post reported. 

In a statement, Lt Gen. Anwar Hama said "The Iraqi airstrikes had inflicted painful losses on ISIS terror group in western Anbar province."

Hama affirmed that the Iraqi troops seek to eliminate terrorist elements in all provinces of Iraq, particularly on borders with neighboring countries to enhance regional security.

He added the Iraqi government seeks to strengthen the Air Force through sealing new contracts despite the country's economic crises. 

"The Iraqi air force still needs several more years to develop and carry out all its missions," he said.

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/8894/Iraqi-Air-Force-to-bombard-ISIS-outside-the-borders-says-commander

[tigergorzow]

Iraqi MP alleges prison security set ISIS members in Mosul free for money

By

Paul Antonopoulos

-

03/04/2017

1

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:26 P.M.) – An Iraqi parliament member accused Monday some Iraqi security members of setting ISIS captives free in return for money, urging intervention by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, IraqiNews reported.

“While accurate statistics of the numbers and nationalities of Daesh (ISIS) members arrested in Mosul are lacking, some weak-spirited security members release some of them in return for money,” Alia Nassif, an outspoken MP from al-Islah (Reform) Front, said in a statement.

She said the alleged releases occur even if the militants are caught red-handed.

“Where is oversight over prisons, the numbers and locations of which we do not know? How come that the bloods of innocent Iraqis go in vain as murderers are set free so easily?,” Nassif highlighted.

 

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iraqi-mp-alleges-prison-security-set-isis-members-in-mosul-free-for-money/

[tigergorzow]

ISIL straps suicide vest on a mentally ill man in Mosul, Iraqi snipers refuse to shoot: video (Video in link)

By

Leith Fadel

-

03/04/2017

2

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:50 P.M.) – The Islamic State’s (ISIL) reign of terror continued this past weekend, as their fighters strapped explosives on a mentally ill civilian in Mosul.

The man was filmed wandering around the battlefield in western Mosul, as Iraqi Army snipers observed his movements.

Unwilling to kill the man, Iraqi snipers fired warning shots from afar in order to make the man leave the area and evade death by gunfire.

The Islamic State has often abused mentally ill and handicapped civilians in both Iraq and Syria, forcing them to carry out their attacks against enemy forces.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isil-straps-suicide-vest-mentally-ill-man-mosul-iraqi-snipers-refuse-shoot-video/

[tigergorzow]

IS deploys women snipers, fights harder in remaining western Mosul districts

 

by Mohamed Mostafa Apr 3, 2017, 8:05 am

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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) The Islamic State has begun deploying women snipers to hold off advancing Iraqi troops in some areas of western Mosul, while exhibiting fierce resistance at one district.

Security sources have been quoted saying snipers from IS’s notorious “al-Khansaa” women battalion had been deployed above tall buildings to shoot at security troops, but did not name the exact districts where the step was taken.

Meanwhile, Anadolu Agency quoted security commanders saying that IS fighters were fighting back fiercely at al-Yarmouk district, where intense battles between the group and security forces have been undergoing over the past few days. They added that battles left casualties on both sides.

Brig. Gen. Mostafa al-Khazraji, from the Interior Ministry’s Rapid Response forces, told the agency that IS launched three booby-trapped cars towards security forces at Yarmouk, leaving three members dead and a few others wounded.

 

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Yarmouk district, western Mosul (google maps).

He said the suicide attacks were followed by gun and mortar assaults, forcing troops to retreat to the outskirts of Yarmouk waiting for a aerial intervention that would pave the way for a fresh ground invasion.

Meanwhile, 32 IS members and eight security troopers were killed in an attack on Federal Police and Rapid Response troops in Orouba region, southwest of Mosul, Lt. Dergham Khafaji todl Anadolu Agency. He added that the fighters were attempting to tap into bad weather to carry out the attack which lasted for more than three consecutive hours.

Three other officers were killed in a drone attack by IS on a military deployment near the Nineveh Governorate building in central Mosul, Maj. Alaa al-Zahri, from the Rapid Response force, told Anadolu Agency.

Iraqi government forces retook eastern Mosul from IS in January, and launched an offensive mid February to retake the west, where security commanders have said they had taken over 60 percent of territory.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/deploys-women-snipers-fights-harder-remaining-western-mosul-districts/

[tigergorzow]

Commander denies news on suspending military operations in Mosul

 

by Nehal Mustafa Apr 3, 2017, 2:21 pm

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Mosul(IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Forces (ICTF) has denied news on suspending military operations in western Mosul for fear of civilian casualties.

“News on suspending military operations are incorrect. Progress in western and central Mosul is ongoing,” Iraqi Staff Major General Maan al-Saadi of ICTF told BasNews.

“The progress of ICTF troops and Federal Police is ongoing in the western side,” he added indicating huge losses among Islamic State group especially snipers who hinder the advance by security troops.

Troops, according to Saadi, are now fighting at several regions. The advance by the troops, however, is slowed down due to the high number of civilians at areas of the battles, which forces the troops to be cautious to avoid casualties among civilians.

Another reason behind the slow advance is “the weak air cover due to bad weather conditions,” Saadi added.

News reports mentioned earlier on Monday the suspension of the operations by Iraqi troops against Islamic State in Mosul after battles reached to densely-populated areas in the Old City.

“Currently, there is a delay, to open safe passageways for families and residents towards the safe areas and camps,” Lieutenant Colonel Emad Khalas told Reuters.

More than 200 civilians were killed when fighter jets from the U.S.-led international coalition allegedly bombarded IS locations in a western Mosul district last month. The Pentagon said it was going to investigate the allegations.

Eastern Mosul was recaptured from IS in January, after a US-backed offensive was launched in October. A new offensive started in February to retake the west. The operations reportedly witnessed occasional slowdowns due to bad weather as well as the emergence of reports of civilian deaths resulting from security strikes. But Iraqi troops continued to retake areas in western Mosul shortly after those reports.

Battles in the west are believed to be much more difficult due to the density of residential areas and the high number of civilians who the commanders believe are used as human shields by IS members.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/commander-denies-news-suspending-military-operations-mosul/

[tigergorzow]

Death around corner for civilians living on Mosul’s frontline

 

by Nehal Mustafa Apr 3, 2017, 2:30 pm

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Displaced Iraqis who had fled their homes reach to get water before entering at Hammam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

Mosul (Reuters) Sitting in a wheelchair and wearing sunglasses, pensioner Abdelraziq Abdelkarim enjoys the afternoon sun outside his house in Mosul after a day of rain. He does not flinch when a mortar opens fire just around the corner.

His home is on the busiest frontline in the northern Iraqi city just 200 m (yards) from Islamic State positions. Outside his house, Federal Police units are firing at the militants.

Government forces have been evacuating civilians as they fight to seize Mosul, once the hardline Sunni militant group’s main urban stronghold in Iraq and now the scene of a six-month-old battle.

But some families refuse to go, shrugging off the danger of a mortar fired two blocks away or a counter-attack from the militants who move around at night. Gunfire rings out constantly between Federal Police and militants holed up in abandoned shops and apartments.

“I don’t want to go. I’ve lived all my life in this house,” said 72-year Abdelkarim, a former studio photographer, sitting next to his handicapped son and a grandchild.

They share a two-floor house in a narrow street with five people from two other families. Military Humvees and mortar launchers are just parked outside.

Almost 300,000 people have fled Mosul since the government offensive to recapture the city began in October, according to the United Nations.

But Abdelkarim and his friends dread going to one of the crowded camps where aid agencies sometimes place two families in one tent for lack of space. Others stay with relatives in cramped homes.

They had stocked up food, water and petrol for a power generator when the military campaign began. There is no food store at the frontline but soldiers sometimes share rations or a family member goes to one of the food distribution centers set up by the military, they say.

“We are maybe three or four families left. The rest are gone,” said Abdullah Ahmed, a 42-year old engineer staying with Abdelkarim. “Right across out door 50 people stayed in one house but they’ve fled.”

DEATH AROUND CORNER

Their short alley shows the military’s challenges in dislodging Islamic State fighters hiding in the Old City — navigating is difficult in the labyrinth of narrow, often covered alleys offering perfect hideouts for snipers or to stage ambushes.

U.S. officials estimated about 2,000 fighters were still in Mosul in February at the start of the second phase of the campaign, to dislodge them from western sector.

Iraqi forces have been edging closer to al-Nuri Mosque — some 300 meters away — where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a caliphate nearly three years ago across territory controlled by the group in both Iraq and Syria.

But the front has hardly moved in past two weeks as Humvees or tanks are of no use in the Old City.

“See our street is about one-and-half meters wide,” said Ahmed, whose TV satellite shop was closed by Islamic State as watching TV channels was banned under its austere version of Sunni Islam.

“Near the mosque the streets only half as wide as this. There are some 40 to 50 small houses clustered around it,” he said, pointing in the direction of the mosque. “It’s very difficult to move there.”

When Federal Police opened fire with a machine gun perched on the top floor of a house through a hole broken into a wall, Islamic State fired back within two minutes with accuracy.

“There are snipers here,” a federal policeman said.

There is another reason why the friends want to avoid going to camps. IS fighters seized the husband of one of their sisters two before the government forces arrived.

“I fear they killed him because he was a policeman,” said his 30-year-old wife Dhikrayat Muwafiq, weeping in the kitchen where she was preparing rice and beans.

“I don’t want to go until we know where he is. I need to stay,” she said.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/death-around-corner-civilians-living-mosuls-frontline/

[tigergorzow]

32 civilians killed in IS shelling north, east of Mosul: officer

 

by Mohamed Mostafa Apr 3, 2017, 3:01 pm

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Displaced Iraqis flee their homes as Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq March 18, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

 

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Thirty-two civilians, including women and children, died Monday when Islamic State militants shelled areas in eastern and northern Mosul, according to an Iraqi security officer.

Capt. Amir Watheq told Kurdish-run BasNews that IS improvised mortars targeted Muthanna, Baladiyat, Rifaq, al-Barid and al-Sukkar districts in eastern and northeastern Mosul, causing the casualties which ambluances rushed to hospitals and medical units in the region.

 

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Mosul (google maps)

Civilian’s safety has been a heating matter since U.S.-backed operations launched in October to retake Iraq’s second largest city.

Though hundreds of IS fighters fled eastern Mosul when security forces recaptured the area in October, the militants continued to occasionally target civilians and security forces there with shelling and suicide bombings.

The dilemma persisted when another offensive launched in February to retake the western side of Mosul, a densely-populated and narrowly-structured region that is home to nearly 750.000 civilians. More than 200 civilians died in apparent strikes by the U.S.-led coalition last month. The Iraqi government and security command continue to reiterate that the deaths were caused by booby-traps planted by IS in civilians’ homes. The Pentagon said it was opening a probe into the allegations, but stressed it was not going to change combat tactics.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/32-civilians-killed-shelling-north-east-mosul-officer/

[tigergorzow]

40 IS fighters killed, strategic regions liberated in western Mosul: Federal Police

 

by Nehal Mustafa Apr 3, 2017, 4:54 pm

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A sniper of the Iraqi Federal Police takes his position at a destroyed builiding near Islamic State fighters’ positions at Bab al Jadid district in the old city of Mosul, Iraq, March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

 

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Security troops were able to liberate strategic areas in western Mosul, a source from Federal Police said on Monday.

“Security forces launched fierce battles against the Islamic State fighters in western Mosul,” Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat, Commander of Federal Police service, told Bas News. “The clashes left 40 fighters, including snipers and suicide bombers, killed so far.”

Security services were able to free several regions including al-Nahrawan and western Yarmouk following fierce clashes with the IS militants, he added. “Battles are still ongoing at al-Matahen and al-Aghawat.”

Eastern Mosul was recaptured from IS in January, after a US-backed offensive was launched in October. A new offensive started in February to retake the west. The government troops have recently pushed deeper into the Old City, a densely-populated and -structured area which military officials view as central to the desired victory over IS militants

Battles in the west are believed to be much more difficult due to the density of residential areas and the high number of civilians.

Retaking Mosul could ruin the Islamic State’s self-styled “Islamic Caliphate” declared in 2014 when the group occupied several parts of the country.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/40-fighters-killed-strategic-regions-liberated-western-mosul-federal-police/

[tigergorzow]

WMC: Airstrike kills 50 IS militants, destroys booby-trapped tank in al-Ba’aj

 

by Loaa Adel Apr 3, 2017, 6:00 pm

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Representational photo.

 

Ba’aj (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Ministry of Defense’s War Media Cell announced, on Monday, that 50 members of the Islamic State were killed and a Syrian booby-trapped tank was destroyed by an air strike in al-Ba’aj District, on the Iraqi-Syrian borders.

In a press statement the cell revealed that Iraqi Air Force managed, today, to conduct an air strike on al-Ba’aj District, destroying two hideout belonging to the Islamic State and killing 13-17 militants inside them, in addition to destructing a headquarters belonging to the terrorist group and killing 8 IS members.

 

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Google Maps view of al-Ba’aj District, near Iraq-Syrian borders.

The air strike also destroyed a number of hideouts and security headquarters in the area, killing a number of the IS militants in the same area, the statement explained.

Intelligence sources declared that the air strike resulted in the killing of 50 members of the Islamic State in total, and destructing a Syrian booby-trapped tank, strongholds and security headquarters belonging to the group completely, the statement further added.

Iraqi Air Force and Army Aviation are conducting several air strike on daily basis on the Islamic State headquarters, leaving dozens of casualties among the ranks of the terrorist group.

http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/airstrike-kills-50-militants-destroys-tank-baaj/

[tigergorzow]

Islamic State group using human shields in Mosul (Video in link)

3 April 2017 Last updated at 00:41 BST

The BBC has gained exclusive access to the Iraqi army's helicopter missions against IS militants in Mosul.

BBC Persian reporter Nafiseh Kouhnavard witnessed IS militants using human shields to deter the military from firing at them.

Produced and directed by the BBC's Joe Inwood.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39475588?utm_content=buffer8334b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[tigergorzow]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

جَوْزائي  🇮🇶‏ @Nooruldeen89 51m51 minutes ago

 

these are some of the clearest shots yet of human shields in #Mosul #Iraq #Iraq_Army

pic.twitter.com/by2vBKb6PR

 

https://twitter.com/hashtag/mosul

[tigergorzow]

 🇮🇶Iraq Live Update‏ @IraqLiveUpdate 18h18 hours ago

 

ISF source: over 4000 British Army personnel of various ranks on the ground in Iraq, majority against Iraqi gov will and without request

!pic.twitter.com/Ywzh2o0Qno

https://twitter.com/IraqLiveUpdate

 

 

[tigergorzow]

Inherent Resolve‏Verified account @CJTFOIR 7h7 hours ago

 

Apr 2: #CJTFOIR conducted 20 strikes consisting of 51 engagements against ISIS in Syria & Iraq. http://ow.ly/vOjF30avheg  @usairforce @CENTCOMpic.twitter.com/R3LACyjb3j

[tigergorzow]

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Iraqi Day  🇮🇶‏ @iraqi_day 5m5 minutes ago

 

Old district in #Mosul map update. #Iraq Federal Police have opened safe corridors for civilians the district & preparing for big assault.

pic.twitter.com/dCpIIT2mUZ

https://twitter.com/hashtag/mosul

[tigergorzow]

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Iraqi Day  🇮🇶‏ @iraqi_day 7m7 minutes ago

 

#Mosul #Iraq map update. Green= completely liberated. Orange= frontline clashes. White= #ISIS control

pic.twitter.com/uTOFgZjUk1

https://twitter.com/hashtag/mosul

[tigergorzow]

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NRC MiddleEast‏Verified account @NRC_MiddleEast 9m9 minutes ago

 

“I hope when we go back everything would be back to the way it was before and the food would be available," says Araz. #Mosul #Iraq

pic.twitter.com/0wyn1Tw7Ms

https://twitter.com/hashtag/mosul

[yota691]

Iraqi aircraft receive warning leaflets over the city of Mosul

By Roudao 3 hours ago

One of the publications thrown in Mosul

Roudao - Erbil 

deliberately aircraft of the Iraqi Air Force dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets on the right side is the editor and several other cities included these publications are instructed not to leave the civilian houses and warning presence near Daesh which will target their positions without the media to the exact timing of the start of the bombing. 

Military media cell and announced that an Air Force aircraft have dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets over the four provinces Tdhanmt information and warnings and recommendations. 

She also said in a statement Roudao media network seen that "publications included instructions and recommendations for citizens to stay at home and stay away from known Daesh sites such as headquarters, checkpoints and artillery sites and barracks because they are going to be targets for our pilots." 

The statement added that the message was directed to the people of the right side is the editor and the rest of the areas that the aerial bombing target Daesh gangs and not civilians and warned civilians to stay away from foreign objects and explosive packages. 

These publications were distributed to a number of areas of Mosul and other (Ayman Mosul - Tal Afar - Baaj - Urban - Kairouan - Mahlbah) The warning leaflets were distributed among the (Hawija - SHIRQAT / right coast - based - Rawah). 

It is noteworthy that the Iraqi forces began a military operation since 10/17/2017 broad support of the international coalition to regain control of the city of Mosul from Daesh, and managed 1/24/2017 restore the entire left side, before resuming the attack 19/02/2017 control on the right side.

[tigergorzow]

Top ISIS leader killed by shelling in western Mosul

April 05 2017 12:07 PM

ISIS terrorists bodies

US-led Coalition jets executed on Wednesday an airstrike that targeted a house at al-Eqtsadyein neighborhood in western Mosul that killed a top ISIS leader and six of his companions.

The airstrike killed an ISIS commander in charge of Diwan al-Jund of Nineveh and six of his elite companions, according to a security source.

The airstrike was executed according to intelligence information and resulted in no civilian casualties, the source added.

These efforts come as part of an offensive launched by the Iraqi forces to oust ISIS terrorists from Mosul the group's last major stronghold in Iraq.

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/8987/Top-ISIS-leader-killed-by-shelling-in-western-Mosul

[tigergorzow]

Inside ISIS Factories Of Death -Jerusalem Post

April 05 2017 12:08 PM

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Jerusalem Post

 

The house overlooking the old city of Mosul is quiet now, Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday. 

Children’s toys, including a shattered plastic rifle, line the entranceway. A car siting in a carport. From outside the nefarious purpose of this house goes unnoticed. Inside the floor of one room is strewn with sacks of metal filings. Another has a dozen half-made mortars clustered on the ground like fat seals sunbathing on the beach.  

Mortars haven’t changed much in design since the Second World War. They are tapered at one end where a fuse is screwed on at the top. The fat, seal-like, body is full of the main charge of explosives and shrapnel and at the bottom are fins.

When ISIS invaded northern Iraq in 2014 it acquired a large quantity of military equipment the Iraqi army abandoned.  However, it needed to create a local arms industry to keep its momentum going. Local engineers and former army officers who had served under Saddam Hussein took a leader in developing ISIS from an Islamist force of black-clad radicals into a conventional army. 


One of its main local industries was the production of mortars, which can be fired from a tube in a yard and then hastily hidden. The bombs they fire wreak havoc on the frontline, not merely a nuisance but a deadly threat to soldiers and civilians alike. In recent days in east Mosul, which was liberated last year by the Iraqi army, many civilians are still being wounded by ISIS mortars.

The house in Mosul that was converted into a mortar factory had each room laid out for different aspects of production. Explosive charges and shrapnel were weighed. Fuses were placed in order. When assembled they were brought to a garage and then carted off to the fighters. The floor was stained with grease and flints of metal, but much was just as ISIS had left it. 


Incongruously in one room there was a fancy chandelier and a large painting showing horses galloping. ISIS in its extreme Islamist ideology that views the reverence of images as a sign of infidel blasphemy, cut out the faces of the horses in the painting. This had once been a rich family’s living room, charged with some crime by the extremists, perhaps for fleeing, the house was confiscated and used as a factory of death.


In the large Assyrian Christian town of Hamdaniyeh southeast of Mosul, ISIS converted part of a church’s administrative hall into a arms factory. 


In the modest building they had a variety of weapons procurement, including fuses for bombs, improvised explosive devices and a desk where some bureaucrat kept lists of what they made. It is still as they left it. Sacks of sugar and potassium nitrate were scattered on the floor. Many of the bags they imported to build their explosives were brought as recently as March 2016 according to the dates on the sacks. 


This shows that even as ISIS was supposedly losing ground and the 68-member coalition was fighting against it, that it could still maintain supply lines through Syria to Turkey and elsewhere. It chose to use the church as a hiding place for building bombs and stocking .50 cal bullets because it wouldn’t be bombed, say local members of the Assyrian Nineveh Plains Protection Units. (NPU) that now guard the town after liberation. 


Today ISIS is gone and the birds chirp in the trees and an eerie quiet has descended on this ghost town. The churches are empty, in a place that has been an ancient site of Christianity since the 4th century. True to form, ISIS beheaded the statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. They even beheaded a status of St. George riding a horse, and beheaded the horse. Like in Mosul, their factory of death went hand-in-hand with an ideology of intolerance and hate. 


Other extremist groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, share qualities with ISIS in trying to not only create their own local industries to make arms but hiding them in civilian infrastructure. ISIS pioneered new types of IEDs and other weapons used to deadly affect. 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/8988/Inside-ISIS-Factories-Of-Death-Jerusalem-Post

[tigergorzow]

Top ISIS leader killed by rocket attacks in right bank of Mosul

April 05 2017 01:19 PM

Federal Police commander general Raed Shakir Jawdat

An ISIS top leader and 30 other terrorists were killed by rocket attacks in the right bank of Mosul, Federal Police commander announced on Wednesday.

Federal Police are currently executing several operations to eliminate ISIS terrorists in the right bank of Mosul, Federal Police commander general Raed Shakir Jawdat said.
 

The Police Forces also killed ISIS leader in charge of Dabiq Army Abd al-Kadir Saleh and 30 other terrorists by rocket attacks that targeted his hideout, according to Jawdat.

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/8989/Top-ISIS-leader-killed-by-rocket-attacks-in-right-bank-of-Mosul

[tigergorzow]

CTS forces advance in Yarmouk neighborhood in right bank of Mosul

April 05 2017 03:14 PM

Breaking

Counter-terrorism services forces are currently advancing at al-Yarmouk neighborhood after recapturing al-Naemi Mosque and its vicinity in the right bank of Mosul, according to security sources.

These efforts are part of an offensive launched by the US-backed Iraqi forces and its supporting Iranian-backed IMIS militias on the 19^th of February to oust ISIS terrorists from Mosul their last major stronghold in Iraq.

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/8995/CTS-forces-advance-in-Yarmouk-neighborhood-in-right-bank-of-Mosul

[tigergorzow]

Two ISIS leaders shot dead in Mosul over internal disputes

April 05 2017 04:10 PM

ISIS terrorists shot dead two leaders

Three ISIS senior commanders were shot dead in Mosul over inciting disagreements in the ranks of the group, a security source in Nineveh Police said on Wednesday.

ISIS leader who was in charge of the Hisbah Diwan Mohsen Zakaria Jubouri and his financial assistant Qahtan Najaf al-Shibli were executed on Wednesday, the source said.

They were shot dead in Msheirfeh district in western Mosul. 

http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/8997/Two-ISIS-leaders-shot-dead-in-Mosul-over-internal-disputes