Mosul (Iraq): Iraqi security forces have seized control of more than a third of west Mosul, a commander said Sunday, after a week of steady gains in their battle to retake the city from the Islamic State group. Speaking to AFP on Sunday, Staff Major General Maan al-Saadi of the elite Counter-Terrorism Service said “more than a third” of west Mosul was now under the control of security forces. Backed by a US-led air strikes and other support, Iraqi forces have since retaken much of the territory they lost. The operation to recapture Mosul—then the last Iraqi city under IS control—was launched in October. ALSO READ: Syria President Assad calls US forces ‘invaders’, but still hopeful on TrumpAfter recapturing the east of the city, Iraqi forces last month set their sites on the west, where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped.

Source: Mint March 12, 2017 14:37 UTC