The battle for Mosul is said to be entering a critical phase as Iraqi special forces try to drive ISIL fighters out of key positions on the west bank of the Tigris river.
Both sides are waging a war of attrition in the northern Iraqi city, with civilians caught in the middle.
‘‘They’re on the move all the time”, says this member of an Iraqi rapid response unit. “But our forces and vehicles are spread out across the length of the river. On this side, there is Daesh, facing us. Some families are trying to flee using boats from this area here to reach the bank on our side but Islamic State have snipers that shoot at them and fire mortars at them. Here, our role is to engage Daesh in order to allow the safe passage of the families.’‘
Read more ….
The Battle For The Iraqi City Of Mosul — News Updates January 26, 2017
Iraqi troops push into IS-held villages north of Mosul — FOX News
Isis fighters move to west Mosul as Iraqi forces retake city’s east — IBTimes
Inside Mosul: The fight against Isis proceeds, room by room — Irish Times
ISIS executes a judge and four of its leading commanders for fleeing a battle with Iraqi troops in Mosul — Daily Mail
Over 100 ancient artefacts discovered in Mosul Islamic State safe house — International Business Times
Fight for west Mosul will be challenge but ISIS is ‘enemy on the run’ — RUDAW
Eastern Mosul in Ruins as Islamic State Militants Retreat — VOA
In the vicious fight for Mosul, ISIS turned one of the city’s gems into a strategic target — Business Insider
US general: Liberation of Mosul involves ‘hardest’ urban combat in recent history — Stars and Stripes
Mosul University after ISIL: Damaged but defiant — Al Jazeera
Escape from Isis: Mosul families flee jihadi death squads on boats across the Tigris — IBTimes
Inside the battle for Mosul — Channel 4
How will Trump’s foreign policy affect Mosul? — Harriet Dedman, VICE News
