Iraqi forces have retaken the main road between al-Nour neighbourhood and Tigris River in central Mosul, Ninawa Operations commander Nejim Eddin Karim al-Jubury said Tuesday (December 20th).

"Controlling the main road which leads to Tigris River constitutes a major breach in the ranks of the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) and isolates the group from the outside world," al-Jubury told Diyaruna.

Iraqi forces also have raised the Iraqi flag on six government buildings in al-Eelam, al-Tamim and al-Baladiyat neighbourhoods in eastern Mosul, while the fighting continues on all fronts, he said.

"Our forces have inflicted heavy losses on ISIL in terms of lives and assets," he added.

In Gogjali, south of Mosul, Ninawa police forces arrested three members of "ISIL's intelligence" late Monday, the Interior Ministry said.

"The heroes of the 1st Regiment in Ninawa police arrested three ISIL elements working as part of ISIL intelligence in eastern Mosul," ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Saad Maan said in a brief statement.

"They were arrested at a residential house in Gogjali," he said.