PM Abadi visits Iraqi forces and civilians in western Mosul

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi paid a ground visit to the embattled city of Mosul on Wednesday where held a meeting with military leaders of the ‘We are Coming Nineveh Operation.’

“The Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Haider al-Abadi held a meeting today with the military leaders of the operations of ‘We are Coming Nineveh’ to observe the progress of the battle,” read a statement from the PM’s office.

He also visited a number of liberated neighbourhoods in western Mosul, greeting civilians.

Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, was occupied by ISIS in the summer of 2014. Since a military campaign launched in October 2016, Iraqi forces managed to recover the eastern half of the city. On 19 February, they launched an offensive to reclaim the western half and have retaken an estimated 60 percent. They are currently engaged in a slow, tough fight in the central, old districts of western Mosul.