Iraqi forces are advancing on the last areas of Mosul held by the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) but the presence of large numbers of civilians is slowing their progress, a military spokesman said Thursday (June 1st).
More than seven months into the massive operation to retake Iraq's second city, security forces have recaptured all but a handful of areas of Mosul from ISIS, but up to 200,000 civilians may be trapped in those still held by the extremists.
"What is disrupting our advance is the presence of civilians," the spokesman for Iraq's Joint Operations Command, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasul, told AFP.
"We received hundreds of families through safe corridors" secured by Iraqi forces, he said.
Around 391 families were evacuated from al-Zanjili and Bab al-Toub on Thursday, Rasul told Diyaruna in a separate statement.
"Joint forces also have killed 12 terrorists in today's battles," he added.
