More than 3,000 Iraqi troops took part in the assault under heavy U.S.-led coalition air support, but the pace of the fight also slowed as Iraqi forces moved from fighting in more rural areas with few civilians to the tight, narrow streets of Mosul proper. These kinds of advances are always slow,” said Iraqi special forces Capt. Iraqi forces have made uneven progress in closing in on the city since the operation began on Oct. 17. As the sun began to set Friday, special forces troops fanned out across the city blocks retaken in the fighting. “Who were the Daesh fighters responsible for this neighbourhood?” special forces Maj. Ahmed al-Mamouri asked an elderly man.

Source: thestar November 04, 2016 19:45 UTC