- Title: Islamic State hits Mosul with car bomb as Iraqi army pushes offensive
- Date: 19th November 2016
- Summary: TAHRIR, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ (NOVEMBER 19, 2016) (REUTERS) TROOPS STANDING IN A STREET IN TAHRIR DISTRICT, EASTERN MOSUL ARMOURED VEHICLE SITTING IN ROAD / HEAVY SMOKE RISING FROM LOCATION TARGETED WITH AN AIR STRIKE COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICE (CTS) ARMOURED VEHICLE DRIVING INTO STREET ARMOURED CAR DRIVING THROUGH AN ALLEYWAY CTS SOLDIER HOLDING RADIOS / AUDIO (Arabic): "CAR BOMB" AS SOLDIERS RUN BACK HEAVY SMOKE RISING FROM ISLAMIC STATE CAR BOMB SOLDIER FIRING WEAPON FROM A CTS ARMOURED CAR SOLDIER FIRING HIS WEAPON AT THE MILITANTS VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS FIRING FROM ARMOURED CARS CTS ARMOURED CARS MOVING ALONG STREET / SMOKE RISING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICE (CTS) COMMANDER, MAJOR EHAB ABDELRAZZAQ, SAYING: "After we secured our control over the Tahrir district, our troops moved to the Qahira district. We stormed and searched the area, we are still moving forward as the Counter Terrorism Service first division and second divisions continue their work." VARIOUS OF CTS ARMOURED CARS NEAR SITE OF CAR BOMB / HEAVY SMOKE IN THE AREA RESIDENTS GREETING CTS SOLDIERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF TAHRIR DISTRICT, AHMAD, SAYING: "Thank God we have been liberated, we are done with the prison called Daesh (a commonly used Arabic acronym for Islamic State). We have been living in very difficult conditions for more than two and a half years. They imprisoned us in every way, they disconnected our phones, destroyed our TVs and satellite dishes, the internet was disconnected, we were cut off from the world." CTS SOLDIERS GUARDING AREA VARIOUS OF PEOPLE FLEEING DISTRICT
- Embargoed: 4th December 2016 16:07
- Keywords: Mosul Iraq Islamic State offensive car bomb assault attack
- Location: EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ
- City: EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001593ZWW7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Islamic State militants detonated a car bomb in the Tahrir district of eastern Mosul on Saturday (November 19), as the elite Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) forces attempted to expand their foothold in the city.
The U.S.-backed Iraqi troops have been facing fierce resistance from the militants, who pledged to mount more suicide attacks on the offensive to take the city.
As the offensive entered its second month, Iraqi government forces are still fighting in a dozen of about 50 neighbourhoods on the eastern part of Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River that runs through its centre.
The fierce ebb and flow of battle in Mosul's eastern districts is leaving residents feeling under constant threat, even after army advances in their neighbourhoods, as counter-attacks by Islamic State jihadists often put them straight back in the firing line.
The CTS special forces spearheading the advance into Mosul are part of a 100,000-strong force of army, security forces, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and mainly Shi'ite "Popular Mobilisation" forces aiming to drive Islamic State from the largest city under their control in Iraq or Syria. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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