- Title: Iraqi army sweep recaptures districts in southern Mosul
- Date: 16th January 2017
- Summary: SOUTHERN MOSUL, IRAQ (JANUARY 16, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS RUNNING ACROSS THE BANKS OF THE TIGRIS RIVER VARIOUS OF MEMBERS OF THE RAPID RESPONSE UNIT FIRING ASSAULT RIFLES ACROSS THE RIVER VARIOUS OF A SOLDIER LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS TIGRIS RIVER WESTERN BANK OF THE TIGRIS RIVER SOLDIER LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS MEMBERS OF THE FEDERAL POLICE WALKING DOWN A STREET VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS PREPARING WEAPONS AND ARTILLERY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MEMBER OF THE FEDERAL POLICE FORCES, RASHEED ALI, SAYING: "As you can see, we are at the banks of the Tigris river. This is the western side, and we are prepared to battle Daesh (Islamic State) militants with all our weapons, heavy artillery, snipers and rifles. We are prepared to cross the Tigris river to the Ghazlan base. We will battle them until our last breath." VARIOUS OF A HUMVEE IN A STREET IN THE DISTRICT HUMVEE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET SOLDIER FIRING AT ISLAMIC STATE MILITANTS ACROSS THE RIVER
- Embargoed: 30th January 2017 15:42
- Keywords: Iraq Mosul Yarimja district Islamic State Iraqi foces Tigris river
- Location: SOUTHERN MOSUL, IRAQ
- City: SOUTHERN MOSUL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA0015ZBZK93
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Iraqi forces advanced through the recaptured district of Yarimja in southern Mosul on Monday (January 16), one of the last areas that had been controlled by Islamic State militants in the south of the city.
It brings them to the southeastern banks of the Tigris river, which the forces reached last week for the first time in the almost three-month campaign.
"As you can see, we are at the banks of the Tigris river. This is the western side, and we are prepared to battle Daesh (Islamic State) militants with all our weapons, heavy artillery, snipers and rifles. We are prepared to cross the Tigris river to the Ghazlan base. We will battle them until our last breath," said Rasheed Ali of the Federal Police.
Snipers from elite interior ministry combat units were firing across the river at Islamic State positions.
Iraqi forces, which have reached three of the five bridges that connect the banks of the Tigris river, say they will soon fully control the eastern bank. They have already taken areas of the river bank further south.
Once the east bank is recaptured, they can begin attacks on western Mosul, which the Sunni Muslim extremist insurgents still hold.
Iraqi forces have seized most of the east in the U.S.-backed campaign to oust the militants from Iraq's second largest city, Islamic State's last major Iraqi stronghold. The Tigris bisects Mosul from north to south.
Fighting has intensified since the turn of the year as Iraqi forces have renewed an offensive against the ultra-hardline militants. Troops had got bogged down in late November and December after entering Mosul as IS fighters fought back with car bombs and snipers, and concealed themselves among a civilian population of up to 1.5 million. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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