Iraqi forces besiege ISIS around Mosul

Six foreign members of ISIS were killed in airstrikes on western Mosul as security forces captured more areas from the extremist group, according to the Iraqi military intelligence service.

Those included Abdul-Karim(Abu Samir) al-Rusi, a Russian leading the group’s so-called Rarek ibn Ziyad battalion. Another was Saleh (Abu Mahyaf) al-Ahmad, A Syrian-French.
 
Other leaders killed in the strike were Abu Duaa al-Mahgribi (Moroccan), Youssef (Abu Gamal) Awni (Turkish), Abdullah(Abu Saleh) Hammoud (Moroccan) and Milad (Abu Hafsa) Siro (Algerian-British).

The commander of the Joint Operations Command, Abdul-Amir Yarallah, said that the forces took over a so-called “contaminated area”, a mill and a fuel station, but did not clarify how far were those facilities from central Mosul, where security forces pressed deeper over the past few days.
Yarallah also said the forces recaptured the Huwaidera village, near Badush region, northwest of Mosul.

This comes as the Secretary-General of Badr Organization, MP Hadi al-Amiri, confirmed, on Sunday, that ISIS elements are no longer able to cross in the direction of Syria, after the separation of the left coast of the city of Mosul, reiterating his opposition to the participation of any foreign forces in the liberation of the city.

"The number of displaced people from the right side of Mosul exceeds 180,000 displaced people and the International Red Cross role is weak in these areas," al-Amiri added.

The Iraqi Federal Police command has reiterated it was “very close” to a strategic mosque in western Mousl , proceeding with operations to clear the region from Islamic State militants. The service’s leader, Abdel Wahab Helali, said in a statement on Sunday that his forces were very close to the Grand Nuri Mosque in Old Mosul, another primary target for Iraqi security forces seeking to eradicate IS from western Mosul since February.

“Federal Police troops have become very close to liberating al-Hadbaa Minaret, the second most important strategic target in western Mosul after the liberated government buildings,” Helali said.

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), stressed its forces begin in bridging the tunnels of ISIS, which were used to escape and movement in the liberated Badush district. PMF managed to liberate many places in the past few weeks. The security source said an explosive device was planted in an agricultural area targeted an army patrol in Akrkouf area, leaving one soldier killed, and two other injured.

In the same context, the leader of Iraq’s National Coalition Ammar Al Hakim, called for preparing for the post-victory over the ISIS elements.