ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Iraqi interior minister said on Wednesday a large segment of western Mosul has been reclaimed from ISIS militants and urged patience as Iraqi forces take on the challenging job of fighting ISIS in the old city. After visiting Iraqi troops fighting on the right bank of Mosul Qasim al-Araji told Rudaw that “due to the narrowness of its alleys and the density of its population and the age of the houses, it requires patience from us to protect inhabitants and provide security for them.” “We need some time to develop new tactics, plans, and more support,” he added. The fight for the western half of Mosul could be the deadliest yet for civilians. Iraqi forces reportedly have increasingly turned to airstrikes and artillery to clear heavily populated, dense urban terrain, and residents running out of food and supplies are fleeing their homes at higher rates than previously seen in the Mosul operation. More than 750 civilians have been killed or wounded since the fight for western Mosul began a month ago, front-line medics claim, a number they expect to spike as Iraqi forces push into the old city. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. By comparison, some 1,600 civilians were killed or wounded during the 100 days of fighting to recapture Mosul's less densely populated east, according to reports from nearby hospitals. Mosul's east was declared fully liberated in January. Araji also mentioned bad weather has been a major obstacle preventing the Iraqi armed forces from gaining more ground these days. Iraq has seen several days of heavy rain. “The bad weather has affected the advance of the Federal Police, Rapid Response Force on the west side of Mosul,” he claimed. The minister is confident, however, that “in the near future the remaining part of the city will also be brought under control.” On February 19, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared an operation to reclaim the western half of Mosul from the radical militants and so far more than one third of the right bank has been brought under control.
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