Iraqi army recaptures eastern Mosul from Islamic State

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Iraqi army says it has recaptured all of eastern Mosul from the so-called Islamic State (IS) group, BBC News reports.

Counter-terror chief Talib Shaghati told reporters the army had taken control of the eastern bank of the Tigris river, which divides the city.

Government forces have made swift advances through eastern Mosul since launching their latest offensive there last month.

Some IS fighters are reportedly still holed up in north-eastern districts.

Mosul is Iraq's second-largest city and the last urban stronghold IS has in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Bartalla, a town east of Mosul, Mr Shaghati announced the "liberation" of the city's east.

The operation to recapture Mosul was launched in October, more than two years after the jihadists overran the city before seizing control of much of northern and western Iraq.

It is Iraq's largest military operation in years and has involved Iraqi security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen, assisted by US-led coalition warplanes and military advisers.

The operation got off to a slow start in the face of tough IS resistance but this most recent offensive has seen troops move quickly through parts of eastern Mosul.

Last Friday, January 13 the army launched an operation to capture the Mosul University complex, used by IS militants as a base and, Iraqi officials said, a chemical weapons production site.

Western Mosul, which includes the narrow streets of the old city, remains under IS control.

More than 100,000 people have fled their homes in and around Mosul and UN officials have warned that the figure is likely to rise as pro-government forces press further into the city.