Iraqi Army Takes Control of Mosul's Governorate and Central Bank

Iraqi special forces have made significant advances in western Mosul against the group known as the Islamic State, taking control of a series of major administrative and financial centers in the city. Reuters reported on March 8 that the Ninawa governorate and its administrative buildings, as well as the city's main museum, had been captured; shortly thereafter, a spokesperson for the Iraqi army announced the capture of the Central Bank branch in the city. The capture of the governorate office and city administrative buildings will assist army forces in launching an assault on the old city center and effectively re-establishing the central government's authority over Mosul. According to a spokesperson for the Iraqi rapid response forces, which form the core of the battles against ISIS, dozens of individuals from the group known as the Islamic State were killed in last night's assaults. The exact number of ISIS casualties, as well as the dead and wounded among the Iraqi army, has not been specified. Just an hour after the announcement of the governorate's recapture, the Central Bank branch and a building that ISIS used as its 'central court' also came under the control of Iraqi armed forces. The so-called 'court' of the Islamic State in Mosul was the center for issuing several of the group's sentences, including stoning, throwing from heights, and amputations. The ISIS court, the Central Bank branch, and the governorate buildings are all located in the same area. Mosul, the center of Ninawa province and one of Iraq's most important cities, is home to hundreds of thousands of citizens. This city was captured by the group during the height of ISIS's advances in 2014. The individual known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the caliphate in the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in this city. The western part of Mosul, the last area under the control of Islamic State fighters, is considered the most densely populated part of the city. Humanitarian organizations estimate that nearly 750,000 people live in this part of Mosul. The battle to retake Mosul began in October. One hundred days after the assault by Iraqi army forces, government-aligned militias and Kurdish Peshmerga, supported by a U.S.-led coalition, liberated the eastern part of Mosul from the self-proclaimed Islamic State's control.