LIVE UPDATES MOSUL BATTLE: Day 3
10:58
Only 1,900 people who fled Mosul since the launch of Mosul operation have registered in camps near the city. The United Nation's spokesperson Stephan Dujarric said on Wednesday. He added that 900 people fled to Syria.
7:38 pm
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi has visited the Iraqi forces on the Mosul frontline. He visited the elite counter terrorism and quick response units on Wednesday, the Iraqi PM said on his Facebook account.
"The Mosul war is an essential war against terrorism," he said, "and it is our duty to stay vigilant and and cautious because as expected, terrorism will resort to other methods,"
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Video footage of the Iraqi tank destroyed by ISIS in Abbas village.
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4:33pm
ISIS has destroyed an Iraqi army tank with a katyusha missile in Abbas village, southeast of Mosul. Iraqi forces are engaged in a fierce battle with ISIS in the village. The Iraqi forces are trying to gain control of tunnels from where the militants are firing at Iraqi positions.
Rudaw’s correspondent on the scene, Farhad Dolamari, said the Iraqi army is facing numerous challenges trying to take the village: there are many ISIS foreign fighters present in the village, ISIS has laid many IEDs and dug many tunnels, and there has been a lack of airstrikes from the coalition.
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3:29pm
ISIS militants have dug several trenches in an effort to hold onto Abbasiyah, southeast of Mosul, Rudaw’s correspondent reported. Citizens have evacuated the village.
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2:19pm
"We continue to make progress to capture more villages," said Qassim Jassim, an Iraqi army commander speaking to Rudaw exclusively in Kani Harami. "We have liberated 18 villages since the Mosul operation began."
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12:42pm
ISIS has bombed two buildings inside Mosul, a Kurdish official reported.
”Daesh has bombed the new building for the Nineveh provincial council in the Faisaliyah neighbourhood in central Mosul, and they also bombed part of the old building for the Nineveh province on Dwasa Street, which is located in Mosul’s city center,” Saeed Mamuzini, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official for Mosul told Rudaw.
Mamuzini added that ISIS militants collected the dead bodies of the Wali [governor] for southern Mosul, known as Ahmad Khatab, and a senior ISIS commander, Abdullah Dawud Farhad, returning them to Mosul after they were killed in Tuesday's fighting in Qayyara and Hamdaniya.
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11:51
Smoke is rising from the village of Abbasiyah where Iraqi forces are clashing with ISIS militants on the streets, southeast of Mosul.
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10:46am
Heavy clashes between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants in Abbasiyah village are ongoing.
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10:28am
In Sinjar: two Peshmerga were wounded in the ISIS attack, a Peshmerga commander told Rudaw. He added that the attack was so fierce, the Kurdish forces were assisted by the coalition in repelling it.
“With the help of the coalition forces, three Daesh military vehicles were burned," said Dakhil Qasim Smer. "Only two Peshmerga fighters were wounded.”
Southeast of Mosul: explosives have stalled Iraqi forces’ advances on Abbasiyah village, close to Kani Harami, Rudaw’s correspondent Ranja Jamal reported.
Iraqi bomb disposal teams have been deployed to clear the way.
Kani Harami and Abbasiyah are located within the Nimrud sub-district of Hamdaniya.
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9:34am
ISIS militants in Kani Harami have been forced to retreat to Abbasiyah village after the Iraqi army took control of Kani Harami.
The Iraqi army had briefly entered Abbas on Tuesday, but was forced to withdraw when militants attacked the advancing forces from hidden tunnels.
Kani Harami, Abbas and Abbasiyah are located in the Hamdaniya area, 35km southeast of Mosul.
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9:11am
The UN is “deeply concerned” about the health of pregnant women in Mosul.
“Whether women live or die in a crisis often depends on whether they can access basic sexual and reproductive health services, which too often take a back seat to other urgent needs, like food and shelter,” said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNFPA, to the United Nations Population Fund, on the Protection of Women and Girls in Mosul, in a statement.
Dr. Osotimehin estimates there are 8,000 pregnant women in Mosul who may be cut off from life-saving emergency obstetric care.
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9:01am
ISIS attacked Peshmerga positions in Shingal at 5:00am on Wednesday, the mayor of Shingal told Rudaw.
Mahma Kahlil said the attack, which lasted for an hour, was ultimately repelled by Peshmerga forces. At least one ISIS vehicle was destroyed.
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8:54am
Footage from Kani Harami this morning, which was liberated from ISIS after an intense 2-hour street fight.
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8:40am
Iraqi forces have liberated Kani Harami village after intense fighting with ISIS militants.
Rudaw’s correspondent Ranja Jamal reported the village came under Iraqi forces’ control after a two-hour long fight.
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8:33am
Fighting in the streets is ongoing between Iraqi forces and ISIS in Kani Harami village on the Gwer Front, southeast of Mosul.
Rudaw’s correspondent on the ground, Farhad Dolamari, reported the fighting began at 6:20am Wednesday.
Kani Harami is a village in Hamdaniya town.
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7:54am
ISIS attacked Iraqi forces in Hamdaniya, 35 km southeast of Mosul, with two suicide car bombs Wednesday morning as the Iraqi forces are expected to launch a ground operation to liberate the town today.
No casualties have been reported yet.
Rudaw’s correspondent on the ground reported that coalition forces began airstrikes on IS positions at 4:00am and Iraqi forces are currently shelling the area.
The Iraqi army and the Shiite militia Hashd al-Shaabi are to take part in the offensive.