ISIS evacuates fighters’ families to eastern Mosul
ISIS troops in Mosul
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Islamic State militants are evacuating their families from the western areas of Mosul to the eastern side as the group continues to lose ground at its last foothold in Iraq to the successfully advancing Iraqi government and popular forces, Alsumaria News reported.
A local source in Nineveh told the network that ISIS “has suddenly given a greenlight to the evacuation of the families of its local fighters immediately from all neighborhoods in western Mosul to the east.” He added, on condition of anonymity, that evacuations were previously limited to the families of foreign fighters, the largest portion of whom moved to Baaj in Nineveh and Raqqa in Syria.
The move denotes a severe collapse in the group’s defenses at the western front, according to the source.
It, however, comes despite significant advances made by the Iraqi forces in the eastern side too. Scores of ISIS militants were killed on Saturday as the forces managed to liberate several neighborhoods on the eastern side of the city. Preparations are reportedly underway also to liberate the Mosul airport.
Earlier reports had revealed that ISIS blocked the Iraqi-Syrian borders in order to prevent its fighters from escaping battles to Syria. The group had also executed several fighters for delinquency on the battlefield.