Mosul battle to end soon as Iraqi forces repel counterattacks: General

MOSUL, Iraq (Kurdistan24) – Iraqi forces on Monday repelled counterattacks by the Islamic State (IS) as the group attempts to defend its foothold in Mosul.

IS deployed suicide bombers in different regions of the city recently liberated by Iraqi soldiers, but the targeted areas were brought under control, the Associated Press reported.

At least three counter attacks were reported on Sunday night in western Mosul’s al-Tanak, Rajm Hadid, and al-Yarmouk districts.

Iraqi Army Spokesman Brigadier General Mohammed al-Khodari said IS sleeper cells set fire to houses and cars.

“This is in line with tactics we have seen previously in Samarra [and] Anbar,” he told AP.

“When they sense defeat somewhere, they counterattack somewhere else to draw away attention and to show that they are still strong,” Khodari added.

“This attack shows that they will soon be defeated in Mosul,” the General reassured.

Iraqi forces also announced they had captured the al-Faruq district in the north-western part of the Old City.

According to Iraqi TV, the national flag had been raised in the district, an area opposite to the al-Nuri mosque and historical minaret destroyed by IS last week.

The offensive to liberate Mosul from the militants began in October 2016.

Since then, the Iraqi troops have regained the eastern half of the city after the first phase of the operation concluded in January 2017.

However, the advance in the western part of the city has been slowed down due to narrow streets and remains under IS control.

Despite this, the militants are restricted to approximately 2.5 square kilometers (one square mile) of territory in the city.