Iraqi Army Reaches Five Kilometers from Mosul Airport

The Iraqi army claims to have recaptured 15 villages in the western areas of Mosul from militants of the group known as the 'Islamic State.' Iraqi military forces began a new phase of operations to fully retake Mosul on the first of Esfand. In a televised speech on that morning, the Prime Minister of Iraq announced the start of operations in western Mosul, which remains under the control of the Islamic State group. The Iraqi army, allied militias, and Kurdish Peshmerga forces began the liberation of Mosul at the end of Mehr month, supported by an air coalition led by the United States. A spokesperson for the Iraqi Rapid Response Forces told reporters that their military forces are advancing towards the airport in the south of the city. Reuters reported that the Iraqi army recaptured areas within five kilometers of the airport late on Sunday. Iraqi army officers reported the control of a power plant and the killing of several ISIS members, including snipers. Hours later, Lieutenant General Hamid Maliki, commander of the Iraqi Air Force, announced that over 93 members of ISIS were killed in Sunday’s operations. It is said that western Mosul is the most challenging operational area in the city’s recapture efforts. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted Patrick Skinner, an analyst with the Soufan Group, stating that battles in this part of Mosul will be 'house-to-house, more extensive, and likely bloodier' than in other areas of the city. The population density in western Mosul is higher than in most other areas. U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis stated yesterday that American forces will play the same role in the operations in western Mosul as they did in the recapture of eastern Mosul. According to Mr. Mattis, the U.S.-led coalition will continue to support the operations. The Islamic State group had taken control of this important Iraqi city and other parts of the country during its major advances in 2014. It was in Mosul that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, declared a 'caliphate.'