Al-SALAM, Mosul-- Islamic State and Iraqi army snipers have been fighting over territories south and east of Mosul city on Tuesday as major clashes came to an abrupt stand still due to booby trapped roads that effectively halted army advancement.
Army commander Ahmed Kazem, whose force has pushed back militants in the districts of Intisar and Salam south of the city, told Rudaw the ISIS had blocked the streets with spike strips and concrete walls in addition to explosives planted along the roads.
"They have some fighting skills especially tactical roadblocks and preventing our convoys from further advancement, but they have no chance against us," Kazem said confidently about the ongoing sniper stand off between his men and the ISIS.
Army sources told Rudaw that over the past week ISIS snipers targeted soldiers as well as civilians indiscriminately and advised the residents in the area to remain indoors.
The militants' use of snipers has long been part of their warfare elsewhere in Iraq and Syria. A Peshmerga soldier who was later identified as Awara Ahmed was killed by an ISIS sniper on the Daquq frontline south of Kirkuk on Tuesday, a Kurdish commander told Rudaw.
"I think I have killed at least 25 ISIS gunmen since the start of Mosul operation," said an army sniper who insisted on anonymity. "They are not as powerful as they were in the past because the Gulf states don't back them anymore," he added.
The army has been shelling the nearby district of Wahda to deter ISIS snipers in order to continue their march into central parts of the city.
"Their snipers have been targeting our units overnight and it is a major concern if we plan to go on with our incursion," Kazem said.
Also on Tuesday, coalition aircraft were seen in the sky of Mosul during a mission. Airstrikes have relatively been rare in Mosul to avoid civilian casualties.
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