By January 8, Iraqi forces had reached at least one stretch of the river bank and now control about two-thirds of eastern Mosul. "The most effective method was the night raids conducted by Iraqi troops against ISIS headquarters and portions of eastern Mosul." But there may be weeks of fighting before ISIS relinquishes its foothold in eastern Mosul. Western Mosul, according to satellite imagery and the accounts of former residents, is going to be a much tougher proposition. "Many ISIS militants were killed, several ISIS headquarters were destroyed, and ISIS leadership in eastern Mosul has started to collapse," al-Saadi said from inside Mosul.

Source: CNN January 12, 2017 15:38 UTC