The Iraqi forces (ISF) were pushing inside and outside of
Mosul. The Golden Division, Federal Police and Rapid Reaction Division were
still attacking the Old City section along the Tigris River. Jadida and
Aghawat were freed, the latter was declared liberated on March
10. Fighting was on going in Bab
al-Tob as well. To the west of the city the 16th Division took
another village,
and so did the Hashd
in the Badush district.
The ISF think that the Islamic State is almost done. The
Golden Division’s General Maan al-Saadi said
that the insurgents were losing control of their forces. He speculated it would
take less time to take west Mosul compared to the east. So far 17 out of 40
districts had been seized. Some Iraqi sources are including the airport and
Ghazlani camp, which are just outside of the city to claim that 50-60% of west
Mosul has been liberated so far. No matter what metric is used the Iraqi forces
have reached the middle of the city in just three weeks.
The Telegraph
and Al Maalomah
had stories on how much the fighting has cost west Mosul. The former talked
with people who had lost family members in the city. One man had his wife and
two daughters killed in an airstrike in the Samoud neighborhood. The Islamic
State has been taking over homes as firing positions many times forcing
civilians to stay as human shields or the residents have hidden in basements as
IS fighters move back and forth through their area, which has led to a high
number of casualties. The compact layout of the western section of the city has
also made it extremely difficult to take out specific targets especially with
indirect fire like mortars and artillery. That has also contributed to a high
level of collateral damage. The Ninewa council estimated that 40%
of the buildings and infrastructure in west Mosul have been damaged so far.
Destruction in the Dawas neighborhood (Ahmad Mousa)
The number of people fleeing west Mosul is climbing higher
and higher. The Displacement Ministry had 12,458 people leaving in 24
hours during the weekend. It counted a total of 99,852 fleeing
since the operation started on February 19. That is a much higher figure than
the United Nations has quoted. The Iraqi forces were warning of a huge flood of
people coming out of the city from March 10-12. That didn’t happen, but there
are enough displaced that the camps for them are at the brink of being full.
Thousands of people are leaving west Mosul each day (Rudaw)
SOURCES
Agence France Presse, “Iraq forces retake over a third of
west Mosul, commander says,” 3/12/17
AIN, “Popular crowd freed the village of Al-Sabeeh and kill
Daesh military officer in Badush,” 3/12/17
Associated Press, “Coalition official: IS-held Mosul
completely surrounded,” 3/12/17
Baghdad Post, "Counter terror forces storm Al-Aghawat
district in Mosul right bank," 3/10/17
Bas
News, "Iraqi Forces Repel IS Attack on Tal Afar Airport, Kill 18
Militants," 3/12/17
-
"Mosul: Kurdish Reporter Injured in IS Shelling," 3/12/17
BBC, “Mosul IS battle: ‘Remains of prisoners’ found at mass
grave site,” 3/12/17
Davison, John, “Iraqi general says 30 percent of west Mosul
recaptured from Islamic State,” Reuters, 3/12/17
Ensor,
Josie, "Just hours from freedom, Mosul's civilians die under the bombs of
their liberators," Telegraph, 3/12/17
Al Forat, "Urgent Ninewa We Are Coming announces freeing
village of Darnajouk east of Badush," 3/12/17
Iraqi Red Crescent Society, “Increasing in the numbers of
displaced from the right side of Mosul to more than 60,000 displaced since the
start of the operations till now,” 3/10/17
Al Jazeera, “Iraqi general: 40% of west Mosul seized from
ISIL,” 3/12/17
Khadder, Kareem, “Nearly 100,000 displaced since start of
western Mosul assault,” CNN, 3/12/17
Al Maalomah, “Nineveh Council: Daesh destroyed 40 percent of
the infrastructure in West Mosul,” 3/12/17
-
"Yarallah: Daesh suffered heavy losses in West Mosul," 3/12/17
Mohamed, Mostafa, “Iraqi forces recapture central Mosul
district: military media,” Iraqi News, 3/12/17
- “UPDATED: Iraqi forces storm 3 western Mosul
neighborhoods, 12 militants killed,” Iraqi News, 3/12/17
New Sabah, “The joint forces liberated about 50% of West
Mosul and continue to free many of the city’s neighborhoods,” 3/12/17
NINA, "Urgent..Army Troops Storm Areas In Center Of Mosul,
Killing 7 Suicide Bombers In Fierce Battles," 2/28/17
Rasheed, Ahmed, “Iraqi forces unearth mass grave of Shi’ite
inmates killed by Islamic State,” Reuters, 3/12/17
Rudaw, “Iraq reports more than 12,000 people flee western
Mosul in one day,” 3/12/17
- “Thousands of people flee from the fight for western
Mosul,” 3/12/17
- "US-trained Iraqi forces reclaim two districts near Mosul's
Old City," 3/12/17
Shafaaq
News, "Found a mass grave containing the remains of 20 soldiers in
Badush," 3/12/17
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, “Iraq Situation: UNHCR
Flash Update – 11 March 2017,” 3/12/17
Xinhua, “Over 100,000 civilians flee homes in western Mosul
in clashes against IS,” 3/12/17
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