Iraqi Army Prepares for Recapturing Key City

“Dispatch of military hardware to Haditha city is in line with preparations for seizing back Aneh city,” the Arabic-language al-Sumeria News quoted a high-ranking military official as saying on Tuesday.

Aneh city is located 190 kilometers West of al-Ramadi.

In a relevant development on Tuesday, the Iraqi Forces continued their advances in the Western part of the city of Mosul in Nineveh province and seized back a strategic district.

“The Iraqi forces are now in full control of al-Ma’arez district in Western Mosul as they have purged terrorists from the area,” the Arabic-language media quoted an unnamed military source as saying.

He went on to say that the retaking of al-Ma’arez district comes as Commander of Iraq’s Counterterrorism Department Abdul Ghani al-Assadi announced last Thursday that the second phase of the Mosul liberation operation had started.

Also on Tuesday, it was announced that the Iraqi Army is using advanced drones to monitor the movements of the ISIL terrorists and locate their military positions in the city of Mosul.

“We are using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to monitor the ISIL’s movements and the Iraqi Federal Police’s artillery units target and hit the ISIL’s military positions afterwards,” the Arabic-language media quoted senior Iraqi police commander Heydar Abdul Mahdi as saying.

Also on Monday, the Iraqi army forces bombed the ISIL strongholds in Northern Mosul in a bid to cut off the Tel Kef supply line.

The Iraqi troops hit three ISIL checkpoints along the Tel Kef road in Northern Mosul city, using heavy artillery. The shelling led to the destruction of the ISIL security checkpoints and the death of several ISIL militants, ARA News quoted an unnamed military source as saying.

The Tel Kef road is considered one of the main supply lines for the ISIL militants to support their operations against the Iraqi forces in Northern Mosul.

Also on Sunday, Commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah disclosed that the Iraqi military forces have continued their advances in the city of Mosul and seized back two more districts.

“The Younes al-Sabawi and Yafa districts are now under the Iraqi forces’ control,” General Yarallah said.

Several ISIL terrorists were killed and wounded in tough battle with Iraq’s joint military forces.

Iraq’s joint military forces killed a senior ISIL commander in charge of coordinating the suicide bombers and transferring explosives in Diyala in Northern Salahuddin province.

“Al-Malah, senior ISIL commander, and his companion were killed by the Iraqi forces in Diyala province on Saturday,” the Arabic-language media quoted the source as saying.

He reiterated that Al-Malah and one of his men were killed near Hamreen lake located 58 kilometers to the Northeast of Baquba while their boat was also destroyed.

“Al-Malah was important because he was responsible for the direct transfer of the suicide bombers and explosives between the two flanks on the banks of Hamreen lake for the ISIL terrorist group,” the source added.

The ISIL terrorist group has stirred up violence in the areas near Hamreen lake.

Meantime, the Iraqi forces pushed back the ISIL terrorists who were trying to penetrate into Jabal Mahkoul region in Northern Salahuddin province, killing at least 20 of them.

The Iraqi government troops also destroyed two ISIL’s military vehicles.

Iraq’s joint military forces continued their advances in Mosul and near the city in Nineveh province, and took control of more lands back from ISIL.

The Iraqi popular forces and Federal Police in a joint operation seized back the village of Shokran West of the Mosul city.

A large number of ISIL terrorists were killed in fierce clashes with the Iraqi forces near Shokran village.

Meantime, Iraq’s joint military forces won back al-Arkoub district in the Eastern part of Mosul city.

The Iraqi counterterrorism command headquarters in a statement announced that the Iraqi forces have purged terrorists from the Northern parts of al-Hodaba district.

The Iraqi forces inflicted heavy losses on the ISIL terrorist group.

Also on Saturday, Spokesman of Iraq’s Counterterrorism Department Sabah al-Nauman disclosed that the country’s joint military forces have seized back several new areas in the early stages of the second phase of the Mosul Liberation Military Operation.

“The ISIL’s defense lines in the Western part of the city of Mosul have been demolished and new areas have come under our forces’ control in the beginning of the second phase of Mosul liberation operation,” al-Nauman told FNA.

He underlined that the main aim of the second phase of the Mosul liberation operation is to take full control of the remaining districts of Western Mosul.

Also on Saturday, Iraq’s joint military forces continued their advances in the Eastern part of the city of Mosul, and seized back a new strategic district there.

The Iraqi forces took full control of the ISIL-controlled al-Qods al-Sanieh district in Eastern Mosul city.

Several terrorists were killed and wounded in fierce clashes with the Iraqi army and its allies.

Meantime, the Iraqi forces advanced further into Sumer and Jadideh al-Mufti districts in Eastern Mosul, killing 25 ISIL terrorists in tough battle.

Also on Saturday, Iraqi Federal Police Commander Major General Raed Shaker Judat announced that several more ISIL terrorists, including four senior commanders, have been killed in fierce clashes with the country’s joint military forces.

“At least 10 ISIL terrorists, including four notorious commanders, were killed in tough battle with the Iraqi government forces,” the Arabic-language media quoted General Judat as saying.

He, meantime, said that the Iraqi forces continued their advances in the city of Mosul, adding, “Over 66 ISIL terrorists have been killed in the Iraqi Federal police’s military operations.”

General Judat also said that hundreds of families in Mosul city have been transferred to military camps from al-Entesar and Shahrzad districts of the city.

On Thursday, the Iraqi security forces began the second phase of the Mosul operation in a number of Eastern and Southeastern districts of Mosul city, following a major halt of the offensive for much of December.

Iraqi Federal police initiated the advance on the districts of Somar, Saha, Intisar, and the industrial area on the left bank of Mosul, General Yahya Rasul, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Joint Command said, Baghdad Post quoted security officials as saying.

Also, Abdul-Ghani Al-Asadi, commander of the Iraqi Counterterrorism Forces (ICTF) told Iraqi media that the fresh offensive begun at 7:00 am on Thursday.

He said his forces have entered the eastern district of al-Quds, and made “progress” in the early hours on Thursday morning.

A military statement for the Nineveh operation said that the Iraqi army, the federal police and the ICTF are taking part in a joint operation to “fully liberate the left bank of Mosul”.

On October 17th, 2016, the Iraqi Army and it allied forces launched a major battle for Mosul to liberate the city and its surroundings from ISIL.