Baghdad: Iraqi special forces made further advances against Daesh in Mosul on Monday, pushing militants out of another district a day after driving them back to the eastern bank of the Tigris river, a spokesman said.
The elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) had taken full control of the Baladiyat district and encircled neighbouring Sukkar, Sabah Al Numan told Reuters.
The advance also consolidated Iraqi forces’ control of several districts close to the ruins of the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh, east of the river.
A US-backed offensive to drive Daesh out of Mosul, its last major Iraqi stronghold, has gained momentum since the beginning of the year.
CTS forces reached the east bank of the Tigris on Sunday, an advance which will eventually enable them to begin assaults on the city’s west, all of which Daesh still holds.
On Sunday, Daesh claimed attacks at two Baghdad markets in which 20 people were killed, the latest in a spate of bombings, tactics to which Daesh is resorting as it comes under pressure in Mosul.
It is the first time Iraqi troops in the city itself have reached the river, which bisects Mosul, since the offensive to drive out Daesh was launched in October. Iraqi forces already control the Tigris to Mosul’s south.
They are not expected to push across the river without first recapturing the rest of the eastern districts, and in fact all the bridges have been taken out of service by air strikes.
But reaching the eastern bank shows the accelerated pace of the latest Iraqi advance, which has made daily gains since restarting 10 days ago.
Brett McGurk, Washington’s envoy to the US-led coalition backing the Iraqi offensive, said in a tweet that Daesh’s defences in eastern Mosul were “showing signs of collapse”.
The CTS has spearheaded advances inside Mosul as part of a 100,000-strong force backed by US air power of Iraqi troops, Kurdish fighters and Shiite militias fighting the militants.
On Sunday, a series of air strikes sent plumes of smoke into the sky as rockets fired by Iraqi forces whizzed through the air. Sustained bursts of gunfire around midday eased as night approached.
Hundreds of civilians fled their homes in nearby Muthana, which Iraqi forces recaptured two days ago in an unprecedented nighttime raid, crossing a tributary of the Tigris via a makeshift bridge made from dirt.
Mohammad, a 35-year-old resident, said his family had locked themselves in their house for the past 10 days to avoid being forced by Daesh to retreat deeper into the city. They walked about 3 km across the front lines on Sunday despite mortar fire from the retreating militants.
“There is no bridge, the bridge is destroyed. There is a dirt thing below the bridge. We transported our belongings and our women and our families,” said Mohammad.
Life in eastern districts recaptured from Daesh in recent weeks has regained a semblance of normalcy. Traffic wound through the streets just a few kilometres from heavy clashes, and reopened grocery stores again dot block corners.
Government-supplied electricity has cut off many in areas, but residents have begun using small generators. In some districts, they are cleaning the roads and rebuilding brick walls.
