Mosul offensive gains fresh momentum as army attacks IS from northwest
The U.S.-backed Iraqi offensive to take back Mosul from Islamic State gained fresh momentum on Thursday, with an armored division trying to advance into the city from the northern side, Reuters reports.
The militants are now besieged in the northwestern corner of Mosul which includes the historic Old City center, the medieval Grand alNuri Mosque, and its landmark leaning minaret where their black flag has been flying since June 2014.
The Iraqi army’s 9th Armoured Division and the Rapid Response units of the Interior Ministry have opened a new front in the northwest of the city, the military said in a statement. The attack will help the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) and Interior Ministry Federal Police troops who are painstakingly advancing from the south.
