Mosul, army offensive to liberate the west from Islamic State continues

The second day of fighting to oust the jihadists from the western sector, the last IS stronghold in the country. Prime Minister al-Abadi says priority is to free the civilian population "from oppression". The militiamen have sown bombs and mines in the ground to stop the advance. UN warns there are civilians trapped in the conflict.


 

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - In the early hours of today the Iraqi government army pressed its offensive - launched yesterday morning - to conquer the western area of ​​Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) in the country. Local sources confirm loud explosions and heavy artillery fire between the parties.

Yesterday the army cleared several villages of jihadists and liberated the local population. As reported by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a speech broadcast on television, the primary goal is "to liberate Mosul’s population from the oppression of the of IS and terrorism forever."

Last month, the government had managed to drive out the Daesh militants [Arabic acronym for the IS] after months of intense fighting. The offensive began on 17 October last year and has taken nearly five months to overcome jihadi resistance in the area.

According to UN sources most of the victims are civilians; since October 1096 people have been killed, nearly 700 wounded in the plain of Nineveh.

Thousands of soldiers are engaged in the assault, supported by heavy artillery and air strikes. The police forces have regained control of a power plant at the outskirts of the city. However, the militia have sown the streets with bombs and mines that slow operations. The army has already sent specialist teams in to de-mine land and pave the way for ground troops.

Analysts and experts point out that the seizure of the eastern sector of Mosul took some time and even more difficult tasks lie ahead for the west, beyond the Tigris River. The western part, though smaller, is more densely populated and critical logistically, with its narrow streets that do not allow the passage of armored vehicles. All the bridges that link the two areas were destroyed.

In the west the majority of the population is Sunni and it is said that not everyone is willing to support the offensive of the Shiite government. Added this is the risk that the jihadists are using civilians as human shields - as has happened several times in the past - to slow the advance of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, activists and humanitarian associations are making dramatic appeals concerning the fate of the civilian population. Up to 650 thousand people are likely to be caught in the fighting, among them over 300 thousand are children. Specialized agencies are preparing aid and setting up centers to accommodate up to 400 thousand people fleeing the fighting. According to the United Nations there are between 750 thousand and 800 thousand civilians who still live in the western districts of the city controlled by jihadists.

• Iraq army government offensive Islamic
• state fundamentalism war mosul