Special forces have recaptured more of Mosul’s historic heart as they press the final stages of an assault to drive the Islamic State group from Iraq’s second city, the military said Sunday. More than eight months since the country’s forces launched a gruelling operation to retake Mosul, IS has gone from fully controlling the city … Read more
Iraqi forces have recaptured a hospital and other medical facilities in west Mosul, further isolating Islamic State group holdouts in the Old City, officers said. The country’s security forces are in the final stages of the gruelling battle to retake second city Mosul, which they launched more than eight months ago. Interior ministry forces recaptured … Read more
Jihadists on Wednesday blew up Mosul’s iconic leaning minaret and the adjacent mosque where their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a “caliphate” in his only public appearance in 2014, an Iraqi commander said. The Islamic State group swiftly issued a statement via its Amaq propaganda agency blaming a US strike. “Our forces were advancing toward … Read more
Iraqi forces on Thursday retook the town of Hatra, southwest of Mosul, on the third day of an operation that saw them wrest back a nearby UNESCO-listed ancient city, a statement said. Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary forces said they had flushed the Islamic State group out of Hatra, which lies 120 kilometres (80 miles) … Read more