Patrick Martin, Iraq analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, said Iraqi forces "are nearing the end of the operation to recapture Mosul" but "the final neighborhoods will be the most hard to recapture, especially the Old City and the remaining neighborhoods in northwestern Mosul".
The officer with the anti-terrorism forces said on Saturday that the attack occurred the night before in the al-Abar neighbourhood recently liberated from the militants by US-backed Iraqi forces, when IS fired a rocket loaded with chlorine. They spoke anonymously as they were not authorized to speak to media.
Federal police members ride in the back of a vehicle during clashes between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants, in Mosul, March 25, 2017.
MOSUL, Iraq Iraqi forces gained ground in door-to-door fighting in the Old City of Mosul, a military spokesman said on Monday, as the US -backed offensive to capture Islamic State's de facto capital in Iraq entered its seventh month.
Iraqi government forces, backed by USA advisers, artillery and air support, have cleared the east of Mosul and half of the west and are now focused on the Old City.
Hassan said Iraqi forces have made rapid advances in Al-Tanak district.
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Troops have had the famous centuries-old al-Nuri Mosque leaning minaret in their sights since last month, as capturing it would mark a symbolic victory over the insurgents.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, announced the start of an offensive on February 19 to drive extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul, locally known as the right bank of Tigris River which bisects the city.
The attack caused only minor wounds, the force said in a statement, without giving more details.
"Police also targeted a terrorist concentration, including several foreign fighters, elsewhere in western Mosul, killing two prominent Daesh leaders", Jawdat added.
Isis, or Daesh as it is denigrated in Arabic, is infamous for its brutal interpretation of Islamic law, which has resulted in thousands of deaths across Syria and Iraq.
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