(Medecins Sans Frontieres)
As the Iraqi forces (ISF) moved into south Mosul itself
their advance slowed down. In the rural villages in the lead up to Mosul there
was not much resistance, but now that the city has been reached IS is fighting
back with its usual mix of mortars, snipers, drones, and car bombs. General
Abdul Wahab al-Saadi of the Golden Division said
that movement was very slow.
The army, police, and Golden Division were still engaged in
Mamun, Wadi Hajar, and Tayaran in the southern tip of the city. The 9th
Division did take the power station in Yarmouk,
which supplies all of Mosul. Fighting and defending in Mamun
was difficult because the streets were not laid out in a grid, making it
difficult to block routes to protect against car bombs. IS also flooded part of
the neighborhood to impede the movement of the ISF. The insurgents have been
forcing people out of their homes to convert them into fighting positions. The
ISF claimed that the
Islamic State set some buildings on fire when people refused to leave them. IS
has always put up an effective urban defense. It has been unable to sustain it
over the long run however.
As the government forces reached the city, civilians began
to flow out. Reuters
reported that around 1,000 people were seen leaving. Many
were not from Mosul itself, but were actually from southern towns that were
taken as human shields by the Islamic State. One family was from Hamam al-Alil
for instance and had been forced into Mosul four months ago by the insurgents. No
matter their origin, the ISF were screening all the men as usual looking for IS
members.
In the west the Hashd freed four
more villages
in the Tal Afar district. The Hashd’s main job during the campaign has been to
cut the Islamic State’s supply lines reaching west from Mosul to Syria. It is
supposed to take Tal Afar itself sometime, but it has not moved on the town
yet.
The Hashd also released
video footage claiming to be the United States parachuting supplies to IS in
the Tal Afar area. Earlier they claimed that U.S. planes had dropped arms and
ammunition to the insurgents in the same area, and was helping IS leaders
escape. Many of the Hashd units in the west are pro-Iranian and have made these
types of charges against the Americans since 2014. It is part of their standard
propaganda to undermine the U.S. presence in Iraq.
A few miles south of Mosul the ISF found a mass
grave called the “horror hole”. Residents said that IS executed hundreds of
people and dropped them into a huge pit outside the village of Athba. The
non-governmental organization Iraq Observatory for Human Rights claimed that
there could be up to 5,000 people at the site.
SOURCES
Adel, Loaa, "Iraqi forces push deeper into western Mosul as
civilians flee," Iraqi News, 2/25/17
AIN, "Urgent popular crowd free Aziziyah village east of Tal
Afar," 2/25/17
Buratha News, “Extended: Latest developments in the field
during the Ninewa We Are Coming operation until 17:30 Saturday 25 02 2017,”
2/25/17
Callimachi, Rukmini, “A Ruined Farmer and a Love Letter:
Remnants From Fighting in Western Mosul,” New York Times, 2/25/17
Coles, Isabel, “Iraqi forces push deeper into western Mosul
as civilians flee,” 2/25/17
George, Susannah, “Conditions deteriorate in west Mosul as
Iraqi advances slow,” Associated Press, 2/25/17
Face Iraq, “International coalition artillery bombed Daesh
targets from Mosul Airport,” 2/25/17
Makhzoomi, Khairuldeen, “ISIS threw hundreds of bodies in a
‘horror hole,’” Huffington Post, 2/24/17
New Sabah, “Counter Terrorism forces will remain in the Wadi
Hajar neighborhood and liberation of villages on the right bank of Mosul,”
2/25/17
Rudaw, “Iraqi forces make large gains in southwestern Mosul
a week into third phase,” 2/25/17
- “Iraqi forces seize key power station that supplies
electricity to entire Mosul,” 2/25/17
Shafaaq News, “Details on the battle with Daesh and the most
prominent achievements of the Iraq forces during the day in Mosul,” 2/25/17
Sotaliraq, “Unidentified aircraft believed to be American
drop parachutes on sites under Daesh control,” 2/25/17
World
Bulletin, "5 Iraqi soldiers killed in Mosul clashes," 2/25/17
Xinhua, “Iraqi forces push deeper into IS-held western side
of Mosul,” 2/25/17
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