MOSUL, Iraq - Iraqi forces and ISIS militants locked in tough clashes in the al-Salam neighborhood of eastern Mosul on Saturday.
Rudaw’s Hevidar Ahmed said ISIS fighters were putting up strong resistance against the advancing forces, using drones for surveillance, suicide bombers and snipers positioned at buildings.
Coalition warplanes also were spotted overhead watching ISIS maneuvers in the neighborhoods.
Ahmed added that Iraqi forces have reached the limits of the Palestine neighborhood in eastern Mosul and that clashes were “ongoing between ISIS militants and Iraqi army soldiers in the Quds neighborhood, too.”
According to UN officials an estimated 48,000 people have now fled Mosul since the military offensive began on October 17.
Iraqi armed forces have faced strong resistance by the extremist group’s militants, as they continue to push into Mosul's eastern neighborhoods.
ISIS, which is still in control of most parts of the city -- in particular the right bank of the Tigris River -- has been using car bombs and snipers in efforts to halt advances of the Iraqi forces.
The Iraqi War Media Office reported on Friday that their forces on all fronts are clearing areas that came under their control in the last few days. But indications on the ground point to continued clashes in almost all neighborhoods.
