Iraq army seizes munitions depot in Daesh-held E. Mosul

By Ahmed Qasim and Mohamed Walid

NINEVEH, Iraq (AA) - Iraqi forces on Tuesday seized a munitions depot amid ongoing army operations to capture eastern Mosul from the Daesh terrorist group, according to a local police officer.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Police Brigadier Mazhar Abdel-Basit said four tons of materials used to manufacture explosives had been found in the depot.

Since late October, Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition warplanes, have been trying to recapture Mosul, which Daesh overran in mid-2014.

Last week, the Iraqi army announced the "total liberation" of eastern Mosul -- after nearly three months of fighting -- from the grip of the terrorist group.

Daesh militants are now reportedly shoring up their defenses in western Mosul in anticipation of large-scale army operations to recapture the area.

"For the last three days, the militants have been setting up barricades in western Mosul near the Tigris River," Salam al-Draji, a local police officer, told Anadolu Agency.

The reinforcements, he said, were meant to prevent Iraqi forces from advancing into Daesh-held districts of the war-battered city.