Iraqi security forces on Thursday began the second phase of their offensive against Islamic State militants in Mosul, pushing into some eastern districts where the battle has been in deadlock for nearly a month.
Thousands of federal police troops who redeployed from Mosul’s southern outskirts two weeks ago also pushed into a handful of southeastern districts, Iraqi media reported.
“This is the second phase of the operation to liberate Mosul conducted by the special forces, the federal police and us on this front,” Reuters quoted an army official as saying.
Counter terrorism forces, which started the offensive to capture Mosul nine weeks ago, have retaken a quarter of the city but their advance has been slow and punishing. Earlier on December, the advancement had stopped after the forces entered a planned “operational refit”.
About 100,000 Iraqi troops, members of the Kurdish security forces and Shi’ite militiamen were involved in the battle for Mosul, the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein.
