Iraq’s special forces yesterday worked to clear neighborhoods on Mosul’s eastern edge of Islamic State (IS) militants as suspected IS bombings killed at least 20 people elsewhere around the country.
The current phase and slower pace highlight the challenges ahead for Iraqi forces as they press into more populated areas deeper inside Mosul, where the civilian presence means they will not be able to rely as much on airstrikes.
“There are a lot of civilians and we are trying to protect them,” Iraqi Special Operations Forces Lieutenant Colonel Muhanad al-Timimi said. “This is one of the hardest battles that we have faced.”
Photo: Reuters
Some civilians are fleeing the combat zone, while IS militants are holding others back for use as human shields, making it harder for Iraqi commanders on the ground to get approval for requests for US-led coalition airstrikes.
Iraq’s special forces are some of the country’s best troops, but they still largely rely on air support to clear terrain.
Iraqi forces first entered the eastern edge of the city on Tuesday. On Friday, forces began pushing into Mosul proper, but so far have only advanced just over 1km into the city. On the city’s southern front, Iraqi forces were still about 20km from the city center.
The militants captured the city in 2014, and have had plenty of time to erect fortifications. Trenches and berms have turned the streets and alleyways of a neighborhood once named after former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein into a maze, and concrete blast walls have blocked off access to other areas.
“DAESH dug trenches that they filled with water and they have a lot of suicide attackers and car bombs,” said al-Timimi, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.
Suspected IS militants struck far from the front lines with a pair of bombings that killed at least 20 people. One suicide attack against Shiite pilgrims north of Baghdad killed at least 11 people.
Saladin Governorate spokesman Ali al-Hamdani said the deadliest attack took place in the city of Samarra, 95km north of Baghdad.
Al-Hamdani said the bomber parked his explosives-laden ambulance in a parking lot and walked up to the pilgrims before detonating the car and then blowing himself up.
He added that at least four Iranians were among the dead. Up to 100 were wounded, he said.
Another suicide attacker yesterday morning rammed an explosives-laden car during rush hour into a checkpoint outside the Saladin provincial capital, Tikrit, killing at least nine people.
Al-Hamdani said five female students, a woman and three policemen were killed in the attack, while 25 were wounded.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they were similar to other IS attacks.
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