Iraqi forces advance in central Mosul, foiled ISIS's attack in Baiji

The Iraqi forces broke into Yarmouk and Maghrib neighborhoods on the right side of the city of Mosul, on Tuesday, at a time when a number of young men attacked members of ISIS with knives in a neighborhood south of Mosul.

While the Ministry of Defense announced that Iraqi jets repulsed an attempt to attack the front lines of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the districts of Qamishlia, Kairouan and Yeos Taba, where successful strikes killed 57 extremists and destroyed nine vehicles.

The Iraqi forces managed to repel the attack launched by the elements ISIS on security units located in Baiji.  The forces also advanced in central Mosul aimed violent clashes with ISIS militants.

In another context, the statement of Iraqi forces indicated that there was information about the presence of an improvised explosive device of ISIS planted in Dor el-Tien area, in the neighborhood of Qadisiyah, in the district of Tikrit, and the forces detonated it in the same place immediately.

The statement pointed out that the number of families returning from the displacement to the province of Salah al-Din, after checking their security position in the intelligence leadership of Tikrit, amounted to 391290 family.

In Anbar, elements of the 1st Infantry Division found four rocket launchers with parts of the Kalashnikov rifle. The 8th Infantry Division Command, during the search, found five 120mm mortar rounds and 10 improvised explosive devices. The 10th Infantry Division found 25 120-mm "homemade" mortar shells, an explosive belt, an IED,  and 20 homemade mortars.

ing civilians as human shields. Spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, Colonel Yahia Rasoul, said in a press statement that the Islamic State militants started to use civilians in western Mosul as human shields, and we are trying to shoot them by deploying snipers. 

The army forces are advancing carefully to keep civilians safe, Rasoul explained. We are relying on light and medium weight weapons and tools, including sniping, to target the Islamic State members away from civilians, he further added. Rasoul also accused the terrorist group of killing civilians, using booby-trapped containers, where its members gather civilians and force them to stay at specific houses, then detonate the nearby containers. Furthermore, Rasoul pointed out that the Islamic State is using this method to delude the public that Iraqi forces are targeting innocent civilians.

In remarks, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri earlier indicated possibility to suspend the military operations in Mosul, in case killing of civilians resumed, after hundreds of people were killed in western Mosul over the past few days.

On Monday, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said, "increasing allegations of targeting civilians are aimed at saving ISIS in their final moments and to halt international support for Iraq in its war against terrorism."
 
Earlier this month, military, political and administrative sources, in addition to several eyewitnesses in Iraq announced that at least 120-200 persons were killed in airstrikes, conducted by the international coalition aircraft, on Mosul Jadida neighborhood.