“ISIS militants have built a defense wall in the eastern neighborhoods of Mosul where clashes are ongoing,” said Saeed Mamuzini, adding that “the wall starts from the Rashidiya neighborhoods all the way to Arab neighborhood.”
Mamuzini, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official for Mosul affairs, voiced concern over worsening conditions of civilians trapped in the conflicting neighborhoods.
“Some 600,000 people live on the right side of Mosul. Those militants fleeing are heading to Syria. The civilians have been besieged by ISIS and are unable to run away,” he explained. “ISIS opens fire on those who flee.”
He reiterated that “people are suffering the worst kind of conditions due to clashes on the eastern side, bombings and security situations on the western side.”
The battle to liberate Mosul has been underway for more than two months. The Iraqi army has liberated tens of neighborhoods on the eastern side and today marked the start of the second phase of the operation.
During the first day of the second phase, Iraqi forces progressed on three fronts and liberated several neighbourhoods, the military detailed in a statement published Thursday evening summarizing their accomplishments.
To the north of the city, Iraqi security forces liberated the villages of Tawilah and al-Sada, and on the southeastern front, Counter-Terror forces took al-Quds neighbourhood.
On the southern front, the statement reads, the army pushed forward in the al-Salam, Intisar and al-Shaimaa neighborhoods.
The military also announced that over 150 ISIS militants had been killed throughout the day, including a commander for the northern coast of the left bank, Abu Hazaifa, who was killed in an airstrike.
They also reported the destruction of at least 14 car bombs.
“In the course of today’s operation, warplanes from the US-led coalition carried out 30 airstrikes and helicopters conducted three,” the statement concluded.
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