Iraqi troops face stiff resistance from ISIS in eastern Mosul
None
Iraqi troops faced stiff resistance Saturday from ISIS militants as they pushed deeper into eastern Mosul, backed by aerial support from the US-led international coalition, a senior military commander said.
At dawn, troops moved into the Muharabeen and Ulama neighborhoods after fully liberating the adjacent Tahrir neighborhood on Friday, said Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi of the Iraqi special forces. Al-Aridi said ISIS militants were fighting back with snipers, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds.
Late on Friday, a group of ISIS militants attacked the village of Imam Gharbi south of Mosul, controlling most of it for hours before airstrikes from the US-led international coalition were called in, an officer said. The clashes and multiple suicide bombings left three policemen dead, including an officer, and four others wounded, he said. Nine ISIS fighters were killed, he added. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to brief media.
