The "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) has lost its field commander in Mosul's eastern front battles, an official with the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) told Diyaruna Thursday (November 17th).

ISIL commander Abu Hasan al-Libi, and a number of his aides, were killed in a carefully-planned operation in al-Muthanna, east of Mosul, CTS special operations commander Maj. Gen. Sami al-Ardhi said.

"Iraqi forces have today made major progress in the course of the battles on the eastern, southern, western and northern fronts," al-Ardhi said.

"Al-Athba and Albu Youssef villages, south of Mosul, have been retaken," he said. "We have also rolled into new areas and streets in al-Muthanna, Palestine and al-Sabawi neighbourhoods east of Mosul."

"In the northern front, we have retaken control of the vital al-Tahrir area and consolidated new positions there. As to the western front, we have recaptured Tal Sawan, Tal Azzo and al-Hamra," he added.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement on Thursday that included accounts by residents of the Hamam al-Alil area south of Mosul suggesting that a mass grave found there contains the bodies of former police killed by ISIL, AFP reported.

The grave was found outside the town of Hamam al-Alil on November 7th after troops overran it in their drive north.

One witness told HRW that over two nights last month, at least 230 people, some of them former police, were brought to the site and may have been executed there.

"This is another piece of evidence of the horrific mass murder by ISIL of former law enforcement officers in and around Mosul," said HRW deputy Middle East director Joe Stork.

According to the UN, nearly 60,000 people have been displaced since the offensive to retake Mosul was launched on October 17th.

Most of the first weeks of fighting were in sparsely populated areas outside the city but forces are now pushing into heavily built-up areas where aid delivery is complicated.

"With military operations imminent in densely populated sections of Mosul city, humanitarians are increasingly worried about the ability of families impacted by the conflict to reach safety and assistance," the UN said in a statement.