Elite Iraqi forces have driven Islamic State (IS) fighters from all districts of eastern Mosul they were tasked with recapturing, their commanding officer said on Wednesday, bringing almost all of the city’s eastern half under government control.
Lieutenant-General Talib Shaghati said the Counter Terrorism Services (CTS), who have spearheaded the three-month-old offensive against the IS in the city, had taken control of the eastern bank of the Tigris river.
Regular army troops were still fighting the ultra-hardline militants in northeast Mosul, however, according to a military statement. “Today we celebrate ... the liberation of the eastern bank in Mosul,” Mr. Shaghati told reporters. — Reuters
