UPDATED: Army commander says recaptured 28 districts out of 38 targeted in Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) An Iraqi army commander has said his forces completed “two thirds” of its mission against Islamic State militants in western Mosul by Monday as troops invaded more districts to clear the region from the militants.

Abdul-Ghani al-Assadi, commander of the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Forces, said his forces completed “two thirds” of missions assigned to them as part of the Mosul liberation campaign. He said in statements that his forces took over 28 districts out of 38 on their targets list.

Earlier on Monday, the special operations command at the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Forces said they invaded al-Sekak district. Its senior commander, Maan al-Saadi, was quoted by Almirbad news website saying troops were positioning at the heart of the district, engaging in intense fights with IS militants.

Iranian channel Al-Alam’s website said the ICTF became closer to the nearby al-Abar district.

Iraqi government forces, backed by paramilitary troops and a U.S.-led coalition, recaptured eastern Mosul from IS in January after three months of fighting, and launched another offensive mid February to retake the western region.

Troops have been struggling to fully retake central Mosul’s Old City, a densely-populated and structured area which military generals view as vital for victory over IS in that region. They specifically eye the area’s Grand Nuri Mosque where IS supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the group’s takeover of Iraq in 2014.

Maj. Gen. Najm al-Jubouri, head of the Joint Operations Command’s Mosul operations, said in statements last week that his troops became in control over 90 percent of the “western axis”, and continue to advance in central Mosul.

Several foreign senior leaders from the group have been killed in airstrikes and ground offensives in western Mosul over the past week.