Iraqi Federal Police declare mission accomplished in Old Mosul
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Federal Police have announced they achieved their mission to drive ISIS out from the right bank of Mosul after they liberated Bab al-Tub, Suq al-Sagha and Najafi Street on Saturday.
Lt. Gen Shaker Jawdat, chief of the Federal Police, told reporters in Mosul that they have “achieved” their mission on the right bank of Mosul, and will search for any ISIS militants who may be hiding in liberated areas.
Iraq’s Joint Command also stated Saturday that with these areas under their control, “the Federal Police have concluded their missions assigned to them in Old Mosul and the right bank,” which is located west of the Tigris River and bisects Mosul.
The announcement does not come as a declaration of final victory against the extremists as pockets of the group’s militants remain in Old Mosul.
Joint Command had announced that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, will be the one to declare final victory.
Iraqi forces liberated the left bank in late January, 100 days after the launch of the Mosul offensive last October.
But as they lose most of the territory they brought under their control about three years ago, ISIS militants are making use of hit-and-run and surprise attacks. They took the Iraqi security forces by surprise on Friday when they attacked a village south of Mosul killing a number of people, including two Iraqi journalists.
Iraqi forces also claim that they have killed a number of ISIS militants as they tried to flee.
PM Abadi announced “the declaration of the end of the statelet of ISIS,” following the liberation of the symbolic al-Nuri Mosque in Old Mosul on June 29.
ISIS blew up the historic site and its minaret on June 21.
"Exploding the al-Nuri mosque and al-Hadba minaret by ISIS, and its return to the nest of the homeland today is the declaration of the end of the ISIS statelet,” PM Abadi said then, making reference to the place where the ISIS leader declared himself the leader of the Muslim world on July 4, 2014.
VIDEO: Old Mosul residents flee on a road of death