7 Iraqi troops killed in Mosul clashes: Police sources

By Daniel Gallego

NINEVEH, Iraq (AA) – At least seven Iraqi troops were killed in clashes with Daesh militants in the northern city of Mosul late Thursday, according to a local police officer.

Police Captain Hamam Abd al-Halili told Anadolu Agency that clashes had erupted after army troops tried to retake Mosul’s Tahrir district from Daesh.

"Seven soldiers have been killed within the last 24 hours -- including an army captain -- and another five injured," al-Halili said.

At least 31 Daesh militants were killed in the fighting over the same period, he added.

Al-Halili went on to note that two Iraqi army vehicles and four Daesh vehicles had been destroyed in the clashes.

"Security forces are currently sweeping captured areas for landmines and booby-traps," he said.

On Oct. 17, the Iraqi army -- backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and local allies on the ground -- began a wide-ranging operation to retake Mosul, Daesh’s last stronghold in northern Iraq.

Once Iraq’s second largest city in terms of population, Mosul was overrun by the terrorist group -- along with areas of northern and western Iraq -- in mid-2014.

Recent months have seen the Iraqi army and its allies retake much territory, especially on Mosul’s outskirts and in Iraq’s western Anbar province.