In the battle for Mosul, Iraqi forces have entered the eastern limits of the city and reached the edge of the southern city of Hammam al-Alil. The UN fears civilian casualties in the event of a siege.
An Iraqi tank moves toward Mosul in the campaign to retake the city from the Islamic State.Image: picture-alliance/Anadolu Agency/H. Baban
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Troops attempting to take the Iraqi city of Mosul from the control of the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group continue to make territorial gains, military officials said Thursday. A military statement said that Iraqi forces have halted at the edge of the city of Hammam al-Alil - which lies roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Mosul - while an elite unit of soldiers has breached the eastern side of Mosul proper.
Colonel Dureed Saeed told DPA news agency that forces have succeeded during their advance in liberating four villages to the south of Mosul, killing several IS fighters in the process.
The battle to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State began on October 17, lead by the Iraqi military and supported by a US-led coalition as well as local militias. The city is considered the last major stronghold in Iraq for the jihadist militant group, which makes claim to territory in North Africa and the Middle East, especially in the war-torn countries of Iraq and Syria.
As Iraqi forces pause on the outskirts of the IS-controlled Hammam al-Alil, the UN has said that it has “grave concerns” for the safety of the city’s 25,000 residents. The UN cited evidence that the IS plans to use civilians as human shields in airstrikes and the advance of ground-troops.
Nearly 42,000 people have fled Mosul because of intensifing fighting in the area, the International Organization for Migration reported Wednesday.
The operation to liberate Mosul from "Islamic State"
What has happened in Mosul since the operation to retake the city from the so-called "Islamic State" started in October?
Image: picture-alliance/Anadolu Agency/H. Baban
Iraqi army discover mass grave
While Iraqi troops advanced further into territory held by the so called “Islamic State” in their campaign to recapture Mosul, they found a mass grave which holds about 100
bodies, many of them decapitated. AP footage shows bones and decomposed bodies dug out of the ground by a bulldozer. This Iraqi federal police officer holds a stuffed animal he found on the site.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Evidence of brutality
The grave, found near the town of Hammam al-Alil near Mosul, proves to be a dark testimony to the „Islamic State’s“ brutality. IS militants have carried out a series of massacres since seizing large areas of southern and central Iraq in 2014. This photo shows a member of the Iraqi security forces inspecting a building that was used as a prison by Islamic State militants in Hammam al-Alil.
Image: Reuters/T. Al-Sudani
Freed from terror
These displaced Iraqi men from the Hammam al-Alil area celebrate their liberation as they return to their homes after the recapture of their village by Iraqi forces from Islamic State.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Al-Rubaye
Oil fields on fire
Oil wells have been set ablaze by IS in an apparent response to the ongoing military offensive to drive the extremist group out of its stronghold. A military commander said more than 5,000 civilians have been evacuated from eastern parts of Mosul and taken to camps. The surprise attack showed that even while under siege, the group could still sow chaos in parts of Iraq far from its base in Mosul.
Image: Reuters/A. Al-Marjani
What is the fight for Mosul all about?
Smoke rises during clashes between Peshmerga forces and IS militants in the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul. Initially used by the "IS" to establish their caliphate and henceforth the key source of prestige and resources, Mosul is also the base for IS’s chemical weapon operation. The ancient Assyrian city also has formed a vital source of tax revenue and forced labor.
Image: Reuters/A. Lashkari
The role of the Iraqi army and its allies
Iraqi special forces take cover as their unit comes under fire from an Islamic State sniper. Together with Kurdish Peshmerga and Shiite militias, Iraqi forces intensified fighting and moved into more densely populated areas of the city without air support from the US-led coalition due to the high-risk of civilian casualties.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Drobnjakovic)
Kurdish Peshmerga
Meanwhile, Kurdish peshmerga forces decided to focus on other strongholds of resistance in northern Iraq and on the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, where IS initiated a campaign of violence in response to the advances of the Iraqi army towards Mosul.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Dicenzo
Fleeing from the fighting
The United Nations says over 34,000 people have been displaced from Mosul since the operation began on October 17, with about three quarters settled in camps and the rest in host communities.
