Iraqi forces retake first district, push into another

Iraqi military sources revealed that ISIS militants launched an attack in Anbar province, near the border with Jordan and Saudi Arabia, while Iraqi joint forces managed to advance in the right coast of the city of Mosul amid the collapse of ISIS's defenses. Meanwhile, the Iraqi forces managed to recaptured a district in western Mosul from Islamic State fighters.

According to Abdul-Amir Yarallah, commander of the Joint Operations Command’s operations in Nineveh, the troops retook al-Maamoun district, with the forces arresting several militants of diverse nationalities.

A security source confirmed that the security forces managed, in Sunday, after clashes with ISIS militants in al-Tayaran neighborhood process, to killed 15 extremists and capture five others, including an extremist with foreign nationality.

An informed source revealed that ISIS militants are besieging, since Saturday morning, the headquarters of the border guards in western Anbar. The source explained that beleaguered troops sent distress calls to send military reinforcements to lift the siege from them, amid fears of a massacre.

 Reports indicate the killing of 10 members of the Third Battalion of the Brigade commandos' border guards besieged in the clashes with ISIS militants.

In the last week, a suicide bombing carried out by ISIS militants targeted locations near the border between Iraq and Jordan, which killed 15 guards.

Regarding the situation with refugees fleeing battles in Mosul, the Migration and Displacement Ministry said Sunday that 2380 people fled western Mosul in 24 hours.

The chairman of the security committee of the Diyala provincial council, Sadiq al-Husseini, revealed, on Sunday, that three of the most prominent leaders of what is called Welayet Diyala, were killed after aerial bombing targeted outskirts of Hawija district, southwest of Kirkuk, according to security information.

Iraqi government forces pushed deeper into western Mosul until late Saturday, announcing the recapture of the Mosul Airport and the nearby Ghizlani military camp, with several senior IS commanders announced dead. They pushed further to announce later the takeover of al-Tayaran and Maamoun districts near the airport.
 
Iraqi forces recaptured eastern Mosul late January after three months of fighting, and are carrying on with U.S.-led coalition-backed operations to retake the west since last Sunday.