Ministry: 10 Islamic State militants killed in 25 coalition airstrikes in Mosul

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Ten Islamic State militants were killed as US-led coalition air forces bombarded their locations east of Mosul, the Iraqi defense ministry said as operations against the extremist group resumes after nearly a week of recess.

The strikes destroyed four IS command quarters as well as 14 cannons, the ministry said, but did not specify the exact whereabouts of those targets. A security source told Shafaaq News that other strikes by coalition jets destroyed nine mortar launchers belonging to the group at al-Baath district.

The ministry reported other airstrikes by its own fighter jets in Hammam al-Alil district, saying they destroyed several military equipment and killed an indefinite number of militants.

Iraqi government forces, backed by al-Hashd al-Shaabi and US-led air forces, launched a wide-scale military campaign mid October to retake Mosul, IS’s last major stronghold in Iraq. While government forces fight on the eastern shore of the Tigris River, recapturing almost 40 districts out of nearly 60 since then, al-Hashd al-Shaabi militia has been fighting the group in the western region, claiming to have isolated IS’s hideouts there from both Syria and Iraq.

As admitted by military media, progress in battles at the easte slowed down over the past week. That is reportedly due to bad weather conditions and the density of the targeted districts.
The situation in Mosul has forced at least 125000 people to flee to refugee camps, with nearly one million still stranded in the battlefield.