March 7, 2017, 4:16 PM (IDT)
Iraqi government special operations forces’ commanders reported Tuesday the capture of the government complex in western Mosul, including several institutions and the central bank. But towards afternoon, after raising the national flag, they pulled back under heavy ISIS counter-attack. DEBKAfile’s military sources report that this pattern represents the situation on other fronts of the city. In the eastern districts, for instance, which the Iraqi army claims to have captured, it only controls some centers, but ISIS snipers and suicide bombers still hold sway in broad stretches of that sector. Our sources add that the same situation prevails in other towns the Iraqi army has recovered from ISIS in the last year or more, such as Fallujah, Tikrit, Ramadi and Baiji, where Iraqi troops are still afraid to venture into some neighborhoods.
Source: New feed
