Iraqi forces have retaken at least 80% of eastern Mosul from the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL), the spokesman of the special forces spearheading the campaign said Wednesday (January 11th), AFP reported.
"I think you can say that we have retaken 80 to 85%" of the eastern side of Mosul, Sabah al-Noman, spokesman for the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP in the city.
"Our forces have raised the Iraqi flag on seven government buildings in the eastern part of town," including the courthouse, the telecommunications building, the postal service building, the Investment Authority, the Tax Department, the Electricity and Water Departments and the Mosul University's girls' dormitory, Ninawa operations commander Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah told Diyaruna.
Several areas of al-Namaa and Bab al-Shams neighbourhoods have also been retaken, he said.
"Our forces are making major progress on the ground for the third day running," he added.
Meanwhile, the number of people who have been displaced since the start of the Ninawa operations has reached 173,584 displaced, Iraq's Ministry of Migration and Displacement said Wednesday.
"The ministry’s teams received today 2,320 displaced people from the towns of al-Hawijah, Tal Abta, Qusyat, Tal Kayf and Qaraj, and the neighbourhoods of Somar, al-Nabi Younis, Palestine and al-Ghofran in Mosul," ministry spokesman Sattar Nuruz said in a statement.
