- Title: Iraqi troops advance further into eastern Mosul
- Date: 15th November 2016
- Summary: AL-ZAHRAA NEIGHBOURHOOD, MOSUL, IRAQ (NOVEMBER 15, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ROOFTOPS PEOPLE LEAVING THE NEIGHBOURHOOD DAMAGED BUILDINGS WITH MOSQUE IN BACKGROUND VARIOUS OF ARMOURED VEHICLES IN THE STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SOLDIER WITH THE IRAQ COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICE, CAPTAIN MALEK HAMID, SAYING: "We are now in control of the entire neighbourhood. Opposite us in this direction is the Tahrir neighbourhood, there are some Daesh cells there, which we target from time to time, but our biggest obstacle is the civilians, as you know Daesh use civilians as human shields." BUILDINGS AND EARTH BARRIER IN THE TOWN (AUDIO OF GUNFIRE) VARIOUS OF A COUNTER TERRORISM SERVICE (CTS) SOLDIER FIRING HIS WEAPON FROM THE WINDOW OF A HOME MORE OF BUILDINGS AND EARTH BARRIER IN THE TOWN (AUDIO OF GUNFIRE) VARIOUS OF CTS SOLDIERS FIRING THEIR WEAPONS FROM A HUMVEE CTS SOLDIER FIRING HIS WEAPON FROM THE WINDOW OF A HOME BODY OF AN ISLAMIC STATE MILITANT IN THE STREET CHILDREN MAKING VICTORY SIGN AS THEY WALK DOWN A STREET RESIDENTS STANDING OUTSIDE THEIR HOMES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF THE AL-ZAHRAA NEIGHBOURHOOD, ABU YASIN, SAYING: "The situation was very bad, it was difficult, in terms of food, there were shortages, no work, we were all very tired, all the young men were out of work. Thank God now things seem to be getting better." VARIOUS OF MEN PUSHING CARTS LOADED WITH FOOD RESIDENTS WALKING DOWN STREET RESIDENTS SPEAKING TO CTS FORCES SOLDIER IN HUMVEE MAKING VICTORY SIGN
- Embargoed: 30th November 2016 14:25
- Keywords: Mosul Iraq Islamic State Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service
- Location: AL-ZAHRAA NEIGHBOURHOOD, MOSUL, IRAQ
- City: AL-ZAHRAA NEIGHBOURHOOD, MOSUL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA00158K37EV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
The elite Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) said on Tuesday (November 15) that they are in control of the al-Zahraa neighbourhood, located in eastern Mosul, after pushing out Islamic State militants from the area.
The CTS had faced fierce resistance from the militants over several days, who launched waves of suicide bombers, sniper attacks and ambushes.
"We are now in control of the entire neighbourhood. Opposite us in this direction is the Tahrir neighbourhood, there are some Daesh cells there, which we target from time to time, but our biggest obstacle is the civilians, as you know Daesh use civilians as human shields," said Captain Malek Hamid.
Special forces and a tank division have been fighting to expand their foothold in the east of the city for nearly two weeks.
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 situation was very bad, it was difficult, in terms of food, there were shortages, no work, we were all very tired, all the young men were out of work. Thank God now things seem to be getting better," said Abu Yasin, a resident of the area.
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.
The operation, which entered its fourth week on Monday (November 14), is the most complex in Iraq in over a decade and is complicated by the presence of the more than 1 (one) million civilians still living under Islamic State control. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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