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| Iraqi troops in 'heaviest clashes yet with Isis' since Mosul push began | Iraqi troops in 'heaviest clashes yet with Isis' since Mosul push began |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Iraqi troops have encountered the heaviest clashes yet with Islamic State fighters in western Mosul since the new push began more than two weeks ago, according to a senior commander. | Iraqi troops have encountered the heaviest clashes yet with Islamic State fighters in western Mosul since the new push began more than two weeks ago, according to a senior commander. |
| Maj Gen Haider al-Maturi of the federal police commandos division said Isis militants had dispatched at least six suicide car bombs, which were all destroyed before reaching the troops. The militants, he said, were moving from house to house and deploying snipers. | |
| The wave of heavy resistance comes as Iraqi forces launched attacks against Isis-held neighbourhoods in western Mosul from three points on Sunday morning. | The wave of heavy resistance comes as Iraqi forces launched attacks against Isis-held neighbourhoods in western Mosul from three points on Sunday morning. |
| The federal police were closing in on the city’s main government complex in the Dawasa neighbourhood and Iraq’s special forces were attempting to push into the Shuhada and Mansour neighbourhoods. | The federal police were closing in on the city’s main government complex in the Dawasa neighbourhood and Iraq’s special forces were attempting to push into the Shuhada and Mansour neighbourhoods. |
| Isis fighters had “some mortar [teams] and snipers positioned inside homes,” said Maj Ali Talib of the Iraqi special forces, explaining that US-led coalition airstrikes had helped destroy some of the Isis defences, but clashes were ongoing. | Isis fighters had “some mortar [teams] and snipers positioned inside homes,” said Maj Ali Talib of the Iraqi special forces, explaining that US-led coalition airstrikes had helped destroy some of the Isis defences, but clashes were ongoing. |
| Maturi, of the federal police, said his troops were now 500 metres from the government complex. | |
| Many civilians were able to use the cover of battle to flee the Isis-controlled areas towards Iraqi special forces. Some of the men were asked to take off their shirts to prove they were not wearing explosive vests. | |
| More than 45,000 people have been forced to flee the city in the last two weeks, the International Organisation for Migration said. Up to 700,000 people were believed to have remained in the city. | |
| Centres for the displaced have been filling up quickly, with 7,619 families (45,714 individuals) arriving in the last nine days, the IOM said. | |
| The push on Mosul’s west was launched about two weeks ago after the eastern half of the city was declared “fully liberated” in January. | The push on Mosul’s west was launched about two weeks ago after the eastern half of the city was declared “fully liberated” in January. |
| The operation to retake Mosul officially began in October after more than two years of slowly clawing back territory from Isis militants. The terror group overran nearly a third of Iraq – including Mosul, the country’s second largest city – in the summer of 2014. |