Iraqi Police Operations to Retake Remaining Regions in Mosul

Iraqi Federal Police Commander Lt. Gen. Shaker Jawdat said that his forces have resumed new military operations in old Mosul city from several directions.

He noted that the Iraqi Federal police forces are stationed in Old Bridge district in Bab al-Bayaz region.

In relevant remarks on Thursday, General Jawdat said his forces had recaptured a public hospital in Western Mosul from ISIL militants, hours after other commanders reported a halt in advances.

He said in a statement that the Forces recaptured the Nineveh civil hospital in Central Mosul, adding that Iraqi fighter jets also bombed several locations held by the extremist group in al-Hadbaa region.

Jawdat’s announcement came shortly after some security commanders said ground advances inside central Mosul’s strategic Old City district were halting due to bad weather.

Iraqi commanders said recently they became in control over 60 percent of western Mosul since operations to recapture that area launched in February. The government said late January its forces fully retook the eastern side of the city.

On Wednesday, the troops regained control over the third of Mosul’s five bridges which connect both sides of the city, and said earlier they recaptured 90 percent of the Old City, a densely-structured district which Iraqi commanders view as essential for victory over ISIL.

Maj. Gen. Thamer Ismail, commander of the Rapid Response forces, was quoted as saying in a press statement that security operations for Thursday were going to rely merely on drone strikes, rockets and artillery bombardments without ground offensives due to “bad weather conditions and rains”.