Iraqi general says almost 70 percent of east Mosul retaken from IS

Record ID: 163190

  • Title: Iraqi general says almost 70 percent of east Mosul retaken from IS
  • Date: 5th January 2017
  • Summary: ERBIL, IRAQ (JANUARY 4, 2017) (REUTERS) JOINT OPERATIONS COMMANDER AND HEAD OF THE COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICE, LIEUTENANT GENERAL TALIB SHAGHATI SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JOINT OPERATIONS COMMANDER AND HEAD OF THE COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICE, LIEUTENANT GENERAL TALIB SHAGHATI, SAYING: "After concluding the first phase in the eastern front of Mosul, we have cleared many areas and neighbourhoods of the city. Roughly 65-70 percent of the eastern side has been liberated, and more than 70 percent of these neighbourhoods have been cleared." JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JOINT OPERATIONS COMMANDER AND HEAD OF THE COUNTER-TERRORISM SERVICE, LIEUTENANT GENERAL TALIB SHAGHATI, SAYING: "We try to avoid mentioning details and numbers because the battle is still ongoing, but we are close to the [Tigris] river, and we will surprise everyone by reaching these areas quickly. All of our troops are close to achieving their targets. They have a timeline and they are coordinating with other teams. This will help them surprise the enemy." JOURNALIST DURING INTERVIEW (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JOINT OPERATIONS COMMANDER AND HEAD OF THE COUNTER-TERRORISM SERVICE, LIEUTENANT GENERAL TALIB SHAGHATI, SAYING: "The most important feature of our plan is our consideration of the humanitarian aspect, ensuring the minimum loss of civilians and infrastructure. Therefore most of the residents have remained in their homes, this makes the operation both harder and easier for us. The difficulty is due to the fact that civilians make the movement of our troops and fighting more complicated. It inhibits our use of artilleries. The process requires high accuracy in identifying and neutralising targets." JOURNALISTS TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) JOINT OPERATIONS COMMANDER AND HEAD OF THE COUNTER-TERRORISM SERVICE, LIEUTENANT GENERAL TALIB SHAGHATI, SAYING: "Since the beginning of the Mosul offensive on October 17, 2016, we noticed the total collapse of Daesh (Islamic State) in their movements and morale. They used all the methods of death and destruction to obstruct and block our troops but they failed. Our forces maintain a high morale and were able to surpass the militants with agility and quick reactions." SHAGHATI DURING INTERVIEW JOURNALISTS DURING INTERVIEW
  • Embargoed: 20th January 2017 11:41
  • Keywords: Iraq Mosul Counter Terrorism Service Islamic State coalition Tigris
  • Location: ERBIL, IRAQ
  • City: ERBIL, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015XT0KEF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Iraq's joint operations commander said on Wednesday (January 4) that Iraqi forces have retaken around 70 percent of eastern Mosul from Islamic State militants and expect to reach the river bisecting the city in the coming days.
    Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, who is also head of the elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) spearheading the campaign to retake the northern city, said the presence of civilians in the city adds complications to the operation.
    "The difficulty is due to the fact that civilians make the movement of our troops and fighting more complicated. It inhibits our use of artilleries. The process requires high accuracy in identifying and neutralising targets," he said.
    Although vastly outnumbered, the militants have used the urban terrain to their advantage, concealing car bombs in narrow alleys, posting snipers on tall buildings with civilians on lower floors and making tunnels and surface-level passageways between buildings. They have also embedded themselves among the local population.
    "They used all the methods of death and destruction to obstruct and block our troops but they failed. Our forces maintain a high morale and were able to surpass the militants with agility and quick reactions," said Shaghati.
    The Mosul assault, involving a 100,000-strong ground force of Iraqi government troops, members of the autonomous Kurdish security forces and mainly Shi'ite militiamen, is the most complex battle in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
    CTS pushed into Mosul from the east in late October and made swift advances but regular army troops tasked with advancing from the north and south made slower progress and the operation stalled for several weeks.
    The roughly 10,000 members of CTS, established a decade ago with support from the U.S. forces, are considered the best-trained and equipped fighters in Iraq.
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