{UAH} Mosul battle: Iraqi PM rallies forces and issues warning to IS

Mosul battle: Iraqi PM rallies forces and issues warning to IS

15/26

BBC News

14 hrs ago

The Iraqi prime minister has warned so-called Islamic State (IS) militants fighting in Mosul to lay down their weapons if they want to live, state media reports.

© Getty Images Rockets are fired from the Qayyarah military base, south of Mosul, during an operation by Iraqi forces to retake the city from the Islamic State (IS) militants, 4 November 2016

Speaking on a visit to the front line to the east of the city, Haider al-Abadi said government-led forces "will not retreat and will not be broken".

He said his message to the people of Mosul was "we will liberate you soon".

The city has been under IS control for more than two years.

Mr Abadi called on IS fighters to surrender after government forces gained a foothold in Mosul's eastern suburbs.

"My message to IS, if they want to save their lives, they should lay down their weapons now," the prime minister told reporters.

Government forces on Saturday also gained control of Hammam al-Alil, about 15 km (10 miles) south of Mosul on the Tigris river, despite fierce resistance, the army said.

Lieutenant-General Raed Shakir Jawdat said security forces were in control of the centre of the town, but did not say whether IS militants had been pushed out completely.

More on this story

• The battle so far
• On schedule but not exactly to plan
• How IS sells the battle for Mosul

The operation to take back control of Mosul continued as government forces tried to clear the eastern districts, including al-Zahra, which they entered on Friday.

© Stratfor.com/Airbus Satellite images of Mosul

Government troops and IS fighters exchanged sniper fire from residential rooftops, with both sides also firing mortar rounds. The fiercest clashes were in the al-Bakr area.

Getty Images Rockets are fired from the Qayyarah military base, south of Mosul, during an operation by Iraqi forces to retake the city from the Islamic State (IS) militants, 4 November 2016 Iraqi forces continue their assault on Mosul in an operation to take back control from IS militants 1

Stratfor.com/Airbus Satellite images of Mosul Satellite images show IS barricades on key routes in Mosul and razed ground near the airport 1

Stratfor.com/Airbus Satellite images of Mosul Closer-up image of the line of barricades 1

Satellite images of Mosul reveal how IS fighters constructed multiple barricades across key routes into the northern Iraqi city.

© Stratfor.com/Airbus Satellite images of Mosul

Concrete barricades and rubble can be seen blocking key streets, while buildings near Mosul airport were levelled for line-of-sight reasons.

© BBC Territory held around Mosul 2 Nov

Mosul fell to the jihadists in June 2014 and their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chose a mosque in the city as a place to proclaim the establishment of a "caliphate".

Before the offensive began on 17 October, there were believed to be between 3,000 and 5,000 militants remaining in Mosul, along with up to 1.5 million civilians.

BBC Territory held around Mosul 2 Nov 1

Gwokto La'Kitgum

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