Curfew imposed in Mosul’s Old City following IS militants appearance
Security forces close roads.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Cap. Ali Hamed al-Basri, of Federal Police, said the Old City has been completely closed while curfew was imposed after information indicated appearance of several IS militants in one of the tunnels.
Troops, according to Basri, were reinforced to arrest the militants.
Earlier on the day, security forces arrested senior IS intelligence official Ahmed Sabhan Abdel Wahid al-Dulaimi in the eastern side of Mosul.
Lt. Gen. Shaker Jawdat, Federal Police chief, said on Saturday a network of underground tunnels was discovered south of the Old City.
In Late June, Iraqi troops took over the Old City’s Nuri al-Kabir Mosque, where IS supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi first declared the proclaimed caliphate covering parts of Iraq and Syria. Later on July 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over IS militants who had held the second largest Iraqi city since 2014. More than 25000 militants were killed throughout the campaign, which started in October.
Despite declaring the victory over IS in Mosul in July, observers say IS is believed to constitute a security threat even after the group’s defeat at its main havens across Iraqi provinces.