Iraqi forces liberate greater part of Mosul - Foreign MinisterDecember 28, 2016 - 13:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iraqi government forces have liberated all but 16 of the districts in Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group, Sputnik cited Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jaafari as saying. "Most of Mosul and its surroundings in Nineveh province have been liberated. This is 40 out of 56 districts. Work is beginning to liberate the remaining 16 districts," Jaafari said. The Iraqi diplomat attributed a slowdown in the campaign to the terrorists' use of civilians as human shields, as well as "vast stocks of modern weapons." "The doctrine of the Iraqi army is to try to avoid civilian casualties. The Daesh takes advantage of that," Jaafari said. "That is why we are not in a rush, we allocate additional funds at the risk of our soldiers in order to save civilian lives. We need time to liberate the city with the least amount of losses." The operation to retake Mosul from terrorists has been continuing since October 17. The battle for the city began with 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and 30,000 Iraqi soldiers backed by the US-led anti-terror coalition advancing on the city from the east, west and south. Mosul has been occupied by IS, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and other countries, since 2014. The Iraqi government could involve the powerful Shiite militia known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the campaign to reclaim Mosul from the Daesh jihadists when needed, Jaafari said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Court in Azerbaijan extends former Karabakh leader’s arrest by 5 months The Binagadi District Court in Azerbaijan has granted the prosecutor’s petition to extend the arrest of Arkady Ghukasyan. Ucom General Director joins High-Tech Development Panel Discussion The discussion was titled "The Role of International Corporations and Investors as Catalysts for Development of High-Tech Ecosystem." U.S. still believes “peace is possible” between Armenia, Azerbaijan The United States continues to believe that peace is possible between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vedant Patel says. Dozens detained as antigovernment protest continue in Armenia At least 63 people demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation were detained on May 14 as they blocked streets in Yerevan. |