US-backed Iraqi forces on Thursday imposed a siege on the ISIS-held Mosul Old City, in Iraq’s northwestern Nineveh Governorate, officials reported.
Mosul, where the Islamic State’s (ISIS) extremists declared their so-called Caliphate in June 2014, has recently witnessed heavy fighting between the advancing Iraqi forces and ISIS militants.
“ISIS terrorists are now under tight siege inside the Old City of Mosul,” Iraqi security officer Ali Hammadi told ARA News over the phone.
The Iraqi official said that ISIS currently relies on sniper fire to prevent the Iraqi forces from breaking into the besieged area.
“However, we’re prepared for this scenario, and our forces will continue to pressure ISIS inside the Old City until the area is liberated and secured,” he told ARA News.