- Title: Iraq's forces discover IS command centre east of Mosul
- Date: 13th December 2016
- Summary: AL-NOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ (DECEMBER 11, 2016) (REUTERS) MILITARY VEHICLES OF COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICE (CTS) DRIVING IN NEIGHBOURHOOD MORE OF CTS MILITARY HUMVEES DRIVING INTO NEIGHBOURHOOD CTS COMMANDERS AND TROOPS WALKING IN STREET OF NEIGHBOURHOOD WOMEN STANDING OUTSIDE OF HOUSE GREETING CTS TROOPS CTS COMMANDER LIEUTENANT-GENERAL ABDUL GHANI AL-ASADI GREETING PEOPLE WHILE WALKING WITH CTS COMMANDER GENERAL MAAN AL-SAADI CTS MEMBER WALKING IN HOUSE USED BY ISLAMIC STATE AS COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE CTS COMMANDER LIEUTENANT-GENERAL ABDUL GHANI AL-ASADI AND GENERAL MAAN AL-SAADI, WITH TROOPS INSIDE ROOM OF HOUSE PILE OF COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES IN ROOM SCATTERED STUFF IN CORRIDOR OF SECOND FLOOR TOOLS ON FLOOR OF ROOM CTS SOLDIER STANDING IN ROOM FILLED OF DEVICES BOX CONTAINING ELECTRICAL CABLES CTS IN ROOM FULL OF SCATTERED DEVICES TOOLS ON FLOOR (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CTS COMMANDER GENERAL, MAAN AL-SAADI, SAYING: "This place is a workshop to fix and repair communications devices and a warehouse of communications systems and devices. It contains antennas, cables and communication devices. This workshop and the warehouse belong to Daesh. (INAUDIBLE QUESTION BY CAMERAMAN) It is a communications centre and a workshop containing communications systems and devices. This place is Daesh command headquarters in al-Noor district." CTS MEMBERS SEARCHING ROOM FULL OF SCATTERED STUFF COMMUNICATION DEVICE SCATTERED DEVICES ROOM WITH SCATTERED CABLES AND DEVICES CTS TROOPS WALKING OUT OF HOUSE EXTERIOR HOUSE CTS HUMVEES IN STREET CTS MEMBER STANDING NEXT TO CTS HUMVEE AND MAKING VICTORY SIGN CTS GROUP IN STREET GROUP OF CTS MEMBERS AND VEHICLES IN STREET OF NEIGHBOURHOOD
- Embargoed: 28th December 2016 08:59
- Keywords: Iraq Islamic State counter terrorism service CTS Mosul Al Nour fighting
- Location: AL-NOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ
- City: AL-NOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVA0015CPT8AV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism service (CTS) said they had discovered on Sunday (December 11) a centre used by Islamic State as a communication and command headquarters in the eastern part of their stronghold city of Mosul.
Troops of CTS, also known as the Golden Division, discovered the centre during a search campaign of the newly recaptured neighbourhood of al-Nour district of eastern Mosul.
The centre, according to CTS commander Genera Maan al-Saadi, was used as a workshop to fix communication devices and also a warehouse.
"This place is a workshop to fix and repair communications devices and a warehouse of communications systems and devices. It contains antennas, cables and communication devices. This workshop and the warehouse belong to Daesh," General Saadi said using the Arabic acronym of the Islamic Static, which is also known as IS or ISIS.
CTS troops are part of a 100,000-strong Iraqi alliance which launched the campaign to retake Mosul on Oct. 17. It includes soldiers, security forces, Kurdish peshmerga fighters, a mainly Shi'ite Popular Mobilisation forces, and is backed by a U.S.-led international coalition.
Defeating Islamic State in Mosul, the biggest city it controls in Iraq or Syria, would be a crushing blow to the self-styled caliphate it declared in large parts of both countries two years ago, and might see it revert to more covert militant operations in Iraq.
Iraqi commanders say progress has been slowed by the fierce defence waged by the jihadists, who they say have used a network of tunnels under the eastern half of the city and exploited more than 1 million civilians as human shields.
The fight in crowded residential areas has also restricted the use of heavy weapons and air strikes from the U.S.-led coalition, the military says. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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