Iraqi army and police forces have cleared 30 neighbourhoods of eastern Mosul of landmines, explosives and war remnants left behind by the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL), a senior military official said Friday (January 27th).
"We have removed 400 rockets, 1,000 gun and mortar shells, and hundreds of improvised explosive devices (IEDs)," Ninawa operation commander Lt. Gen. Abdul Ameer Rashid Yarallah told Diyaruna.
"The operation also involved dismantling vehicles and houses packed with explosives, and removing the bodies of ISIL elements killed in the confrontations," he said.
The operation is ongoing to clear the remaining neighbourhoods so residents can return to their houses, he added.
"The remaining areas will be cleared next week," he said. "We will also open police stations and deploy mobile security units to establish law and order before moving to liberate the western part of Mosul."
