Iraq forces retake eastern district of Mosul from Daesh

By Mohamed Walid and Ahmed Qassem

NINEVEH, Iraq (AA) – Iraqi forces on Thursday retook Mosul’s eastern Al-Tamim neighborhood after it was recaptured by Daesh terrorists only a few hours earlier.

For the last 60 days, Iraqi anti-terrorism forces have been engaged in fierce battles with Daesh militants in and around Mosul’s easternmost districts.

Iraqi army Colonel Hamza al-Adli told Anadolu Agency that around 20 militants had entered the area late last night and declared -- using loudspeakers -- that they had entirely captured it.

"This terrified local residents who began to flee for their lives," he said.

"After local families were evacuated from their homes, Iraqi army forces surrounded the neighborhood and began attacking the militants," the army officer said.

Al-Adli added: "They eventually finished them off in the early hours of Thursday."

He did not, however, provide the number of casualties sustained by the militants.

Iraq’s second largest city in terms of population, Mosul was overrun by Daesh in mid-2014.

In mid-October, the Iraqi military launched a wide-ranging operation aimed at recapturing the city.

Iraqi officials have vowed to recapture Mosul -- Daesh’s last stronghold in northern Iraq -- by year’s end.