Iraqi General: We Have Recaptured 30 Percent of West Mosul

An Iraqi special forces commander announced on Sunday, March 12, that the country's military has recaptured about 30 percent of the western part of Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIS) militants. According to reports, General Ma'in al-Saadi stated that Iraqi forces attacked two neighborhoods in western Mosul on Sunday, adding that there are signs of weakness in the resistance of the Islamic State militants. He further noted that 'the enemy has lost its combat power.' According to this military official, the Islamic State has lost control of 17 out of 40 areas in western Mosul as of Sunday. In recent days, government buildings have also fallen into the hands of Iraqi forces. General al-Saadi also mentioned that he expects the time to retake western Mosul to be half that of the battle for eastern Mosul. Reuters reported that Iraqi forces managed to retake eastern Mosul from the Islamic State about two months ago after a 100-day battle. Iraqi forces began the fight to reclaim western Mosul about three weeks ago. Previously, Reuters reported on March 8, citing an American coalition commander in Iraq, that the Islamic State militants are in disarray, and their commanders and foreign members are trying to escape Mosul. Nevertheless, he stated that fierce battles are ongoing for the complete capture of Mosul. The fighting over western Mosul continues while about 600,000 civilians are trapped in the area. Meanwhile, American and Iraqi officials have stated that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State, 'has fled to the desert and is trying to save his life.' This claim has not been independently verified by news agencies. In the past, reports have also emerged regarding al-Baghdadi being injured or attacked at his location. Nonetheless, American and Iraqi officials noted that the lack of internal group communications and the absence of posts from the group on social media platforms such as Telegram, Twitter, and others where they have been present, has raised the possibility that al-Baghdadi has left Mosul - which remains the most populous city captured by ISIS. Mosul is considered the second-largest city in Iraq. In this context, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not released any messages or speeches in the past four months, and two weeks after the start of the Mosul liberation operation, his statements and messages also ceased.