The Iraqi military has turned the tide on the Islamic state in the battle of Mosul. According to their military sources, they have completely surrounded the Islamic State terrorists, who control only about 10 percent of the area in the western part of the city.
Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for the joint operations in Iraq, said Tuesday the militants now control only about 12 square kilometers of land in the Old City following a seven-month U.S.-backed campaign to remove the terrorists from Mosul.
“We reassure everyone that, in a very short time, God willing, we will declare the liberation and clearing of west Mosul and raise the Iraqi flag over the Old City,” he said.
U.S. military spokesman John Dorrian said the IS group is completely surrounded in Mosul and “on the brink of total defeat.”
Dorrian said U.S.-backed military strikes have taken out more than 200 tunnels and more than 1,000 fighting positions used by the IS group.
The battle in Mosul has displaced more than 500,000 people, and it is estimated that 250,000 people are still trapped inside the city by IS militants.
Since the Islamic State takeover in 2014, the terrorists have claimed this area as their caliphate. But the Iraqi army has rebounded and now is beginning to take back their territory.
As their fortunes have taken a step backward, the Islamic State (IS) fighters have begun using civilians as human shields and killing any civilians that attempt to leave the area.
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Photo courtesy Reuters