Iraqi Troops Progress in Mosul Old City, Save Civilians

YemenExtra

Y.A

Iraqi troops said ,Tuesday (Jun 20) , they were fighting fierce battles with the “Daesh ” group , backed by Saudi Arabia, and saving fleeing  civilians as they pursued their offensive against Mosul’s militant-held Old City.

Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior commander in the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), said the battle was advanced as predictable but that progress was slow.

“Things are good and the battle is going as planned,” he told AFP. “We have many obstacles – the nature of the land, the nature of the construction, the roads and the civilian population – all of which make us slow down our work.”

He said civilians were fleeing the Old City, with up to 400 closing  the positions of Iraqi troops on Monday.

Federal police troops said they were moving forward on the southern front of the battle with support from heavy weapons fire and on the northern front had surrounded a hospital.

Iraqi troops started the operation on Sunday to recapture the Old City, the last part of Iraq’s second city still controlled by “Daesh” ,backed by Saudi Arabia, after a months-long offensive.

Sayyad #Houthi, the leader of Ansar Allah in #Yemen, warned the world  leaders from Saudi Arabia, whom is a major exporter of the kind of jihadist ideology that drives groups like al-Qaeda and the Deash.