Iraqi forces engaged in fierce combat with Islamic State (IS) militants outside Mosul’s Old City on March 19 as they pressed forward in a bid to recapture the western part of the city.
Iraqi federal police and the elite Rapid Response Force continued their offensive on IS targets, including with rockets and mortar rounds, as they closed in on the important Al-Nuri Mosque in west Mosul.
Residents of the city continued to flee the area as the battle for the western part of the city moved into its second month.
"Federal Police and Rapid Response forces resumed their advance after halting operations due to bad weather. The troops have a target of retaking the rest of the Old City," a police spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying on March 19.
The operation to recapture Mosul, the last IS stronghold in Iraq, was launched in October, with Iraqi forces backed by U.S. air support and artillery.
Government troops captured the eastern half of the militants' so-called capital in Iraq in January after 100 days of fighting, and the offensive to capture west Mosul was launched with U.S. air support on February 19.
U.S. officials have estimated as many as 750,000 civilians may have been in west Mosul at the start of the offensive, along with some 2,000 IS fighters.
According to United Nations figures, some 255,000 people have been displaced from Mosul and its outskirts since October. That figure includes some 100,000 displaced persons since the beginning of the operation to retake west Mosul last month, according to the UN.
IS militants have been fighting back with sniper fire, mortars, and armored suicide car bombs, officials say.
The extremist group's stronghold in Syria, Raqqa, is also under pressure from U.S.-backed forces.
IS militants seized large portions of northern Iraq and Syria in an offensive in 2014.
The group has been accused of numerous atrocities and has claimed responsibility for major terrorist attacks in Europe and elsewhere.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
U.S., Canadian Warplanes Intercept Russian, Chinese Military Aircraft Near Alaska
2Crowdsourcing Russia's Future: Poll Of Experts Considers What Comes After Putin
3Russia Attacks Ukrainian Danube Port For Second Day As NATO Scrambles Warplanes Over Romania
4Turkey Detains Russian Man Suspected Of Car Bombing In Moscow
5Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
6Ukrainian Forces Fight Intense Battles In Donetsk Region, Zelenskiy Says
7Pentagon Finds Another $2 Billion Of Accounting Errors For Ukraine Aid
8'Don't Even Whisper In Your Language': Russian Course For Central Asians Lays Down Strict Rules
9Bulgarian President Admits Blocking Pro-Western Envoy To Kyiv
10Under Relentless Russian Attacks, Ukrainian Power Plant Workers Race To Get The Lights Back On
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.