War News 5-18-2017

U.N. says 200,000 more people could flee Mosul as fighting intensifies
Reuters 2 minutes 38 seconds ago

   
ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Thursday up to 200,000 more people could flee Mosul as Iraqi forces push into the last districts held by Islamic State militants.

Iraqi authorities and aid agencies are already struggling to cope with a surge in displacement since security forces opened a new front against the militants in Mosul earlier this month.

Backed by a U.S.-led coalition, Iraqi forces have dislodged Islamic State from all but about 12 square km (5 square miles) of the city and are seeking to claim victory before the holy month of Ramadan in less than two weeks.

The militants, however, still control the Old City, where they are expected to make their last stand in the densely populated, narrow streets that are impassable for armored vehicles.

"As military operations intensify and move closer to Mosul’s Old City area, we expect that up to 200,000 more people will flee,” Lise Grande, the U.N.'s Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq said in a statement, describing the figures as "alarming".

“The numbers of people who are moving are now so large, it’s becoming more and more difficult to ensure civilians receive the assistance and protection they need."

Nearly 700,000 people have fled Mosul since the start of the campaign to retake the city last October, seeking refuge either with friends and relatives or in camps.

Human Rights Watch said on Thursday the Iraqi army and other local security forces had forced over 300 displaced families to return to districts of Mosul that are still at risk of attack by Islamic State.

“These families should not be forcibly returned to unsafe areas and areas that lack adequate water, food, electricity, or health facilities,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

(Reporting by Isabel Coles and Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Ralph Boulton)


https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-n-says-200-000-more-people-could-081822539.html

18-05-2017 11:44 AM
Liberation of Sinjar military airport west of Mosul



The popular crowd announced on Thursday the liberation of the Sinjar military airport south of the Kairouan district west of the city of Mosul from the control of the 'Da'ash' organization.

The media told the crowd that 'brigades 13 and 14 in the popular crowd liberated the Sinjar plain military airport south of Kairouan'.

He added that the liberated airport 'is one of the airports is important for logistical and strategic'.

http://www.ikhnews.com/index.php?page=article&id=156379

Field commanders: approaching the end of the battle of Mosul and the next destination Tal Afar


18/5/2017 12:00 am

The victories of the popular crowd in Kairouan were cut off.
Baghdad / Al-Sabah Mosul / Shorouq Maher Sondos Abdul Wahab
Field commanders expected near the end of the battle to liberate Mosul after the heroic forces of the closure of the northern and western axes of the old city after the siege of the south of the south, announcing that the next destination of forces to liberate the district of Tal Afar.
This comes at a time has resulted in the massive popular mobilization currently taking place in Kairouan and Baaj west of Nineveh, the cutting of the bands of bandits and isolated from
Other axes.


Smash gang lines
The commander of the counterterrorism unit, Lieutenant General Abdelwahab al-Saadi, who is on the front lines, revealed that the forces of the apparatus managed to destroy all the defenses of gangs and the dacha in the right coast.
Pointing out that it exploded yesterday eight car bombs and killed them, as well as the rapid progress in the neighborhood of Najjar, which is the last bastion of the tent in the western axis of the city.
He pointed out that these gangs no longer have a defensive or offensive force because of the cohesion of military units and the flight of its leaders.
Al-Sabah newspaper quoted Capt. Ahmad al-Obeidi as saying that the rapid reaction forces had taken control of large parts of the Najjar district and managed to liberate seven mosques and kill three snipers in violent clashes. They also managed to rescue and deconstruct the families of 50 civilians who were detained at al-Da'ash Elderly clerics arrested for criticizing the terrorist organization's crimes of murder and committing abominations against the people, expected to witness the coming hours the announcement of full control of the western axis in general
The Right Coast.


Old Town in Pliers
For his part, the Federal Police Chief Major General Raed Shaker Jawdat said that his forces raised the Iraqi flag on the minaret of the Mufti Mosque and the electricity station in the neighborhood (July 17), and that the marching planes completely destroyed a column of wheels carrying dozens of evaders fleeing from the Economists neighborhood, noting that these neighborhoods are located on The northern axis of the Old City. He added that the federal police stationed in the south axis in the door of bricks and a new door and Farouq pushing their arms and heavy and medium heavy machine guns and the depletion of defense capabilities in the area around the mosque Nuri.
He said that these advanced forces from the northern axis crushed the defenses of the terrorist organization and dispersed its elements between the dead and Terud as it continues to clear the remaining neighborhoods of economists and (July 17), stressing the deployment of a full batch of federal police snipers on the roofs of buildings to assign its specialized engineering staff to remove mines and containers And the rescue of civilians stranded amid the traps before continuing to advance towards the old city to restore the last strategic goals of the Nuri Mosque.
Jawdat said that the forces killed dozens of terrorists, the most prominent of them (the security official, Abu Hafsa al-Tunisi) and his terrorist assistant (Abu Ali al-Ansari) and seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition. The commander of the federal police told us that the advanced forces clashed with al-Da'ash in the areas of Bab al-Jadid and the door of bricks and irons, killing 20 of them and seizing equipment and wheels for them. It also killed the so-called "suicide bomber" Pointing out that «the federal forces besieged the market Wednesday and the new market in preparation for breaking them».


The Final Victory
As a result, the commander of Nineveh operations, Maj. Gen. Najm al-Jubouri, told the correspondent «morning», that if the completion of Ayman Mosul in the coming days will be the direction of the liberation of Tal Afar.
He stressed that it is the next and final destination to end the presence of gangs in all areas of Nineveh, especially that the remaining terrorists utter their last breath suffered heavy losses of lives and machinery and equipment.
Al-Jubouri said that immediately after the end of the battle to liberate the right side of Mosul, our forces join forces with the popular crowd to liberate the remaining areas of the province, especially the Tal Afar district, which is the main stronghold of the presence of leaders, princes and gang members, Namely Kairouan, Ba'ja 'and Adnaniyah.
He pointed out that the air force and air force will play a greater role in the next battle, stressing that the forces are ready to start the battle to liberate Tal Afar, hinting that the rest of the time is small and tell the people of Tal Afar that the start of the battle is very close and will be freed and salvation from the terrorists' Our forces and the popular crowd are keen to put the protection of the people and maintain their safety at the top of the priorities.


The crowd saves Kairouan families
And on the results of the ongoing operations west of Nineveh .. The security expert Fadel Abu Raghef: These operations carried out by the heroes of the popular crowd with an effective air cover from the hawks of the Air Force led to the dismemberment of the gangs and urged and isolated from the other axes completely, where they managed Dk caches Aldawash in the axis of West Mosul, Kairouan, Baaj and Tall Afar areas, which constitute a very serious threat to the security forces operating in the right coast, adding that the crowd forces have also been able to deprive the military and logistical supplies and prevent terrorist elements from infiltrating from the old Mosul towards the western axis while ensuring no infiltration Calling from the Syrian tenderness towards the same axis, which led to the stripping of gangs and urged the possibilities and became those areas in the rule
Ended.
A statement issued by the Popular Forces for the Popular Forces said that al-Sufari had rescued dozens of families fleeing gangs of gangs in villages in the north of Kairouan province. The security department supervised the relief operations of these families and transported them to safe places,That the heroes of the popular crowd dealt with the targets of the low on the outskirts of villages north of Kairouan and suffered direct casualties. This was preceded by the confirmation of the information of the Commission that the 13th Brigade popular mobilization, was able, on the first day to secure the exit of about 200 displaced families from areas south of Kairouan west of the city of Mosul and provide the necessary assistance. The commander of the Tigris operations, Lieutenant General Mizher al-Azzawi, announced the launch of large-scale military operations yesterday in the northern Diyala province from three main axes. Adding that the joint forces of the army and police supported by the popular and tribal mobilization and Basnad of the army air force launched on Wednesday morning to carry out operations including areas of the encirclement and a raid within the hills of Hamrin in the northern part of the province in order to track the cells of gangsters terrorists. He pointed out that the operations adopted an intelligence base in the pursuit of targets, which comes within the framework of the strategy of leadership to end the existence of pockets or sanctuaries of extremist groups in Diyala. Noting that the Tigris operations carried out similar operations during the past months in several areas of the province and led to the destruction of caches of those cells and seize the contents.

http://www.alsabaah.iq/ArticleShow.aspx?ID=137327