Iraqi Forces Enter Mosul, The First Time Since The City Was Over Run By ISIS In 2014

As the battle to drive the Islamic State militants out of their Iraqi stronghold, Mosul continue, the first batch of elite Iraqi commandos have swept into the eastern edge of Mosul.

Troops entered Gogjali, a neighborhood inside Mosul's city limits, and later the outskirts of the more built-up Karama district, according to Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi of the Iraqi special forces.?

AFP

But the army is facing stiff opposition from the ISIS fighters who are continuing their resistance.

The army has been attacked with heavy shelling, suicide car bombs and IEDs.

"Daesh is fighting back and have set up concrete blast walls to block off the Karama neighborhood and our troops' advance,'' al-Aridi said.

AFP

Even though the Iraqi army has managed to enter Mosul, it is believed that it will be at least a couple of weeks before the city falls.

This is because as the fighting moves more into urban areas, it will give ISIS a chance to better defend themselves from the army as they have been controlling the city for well over two years.

The nearly one million people who are still caught up in the city is also facing threats as ISIS is using them as human shields.

AFP

According to the UN dozens of civilians have been beheaded by ISIS inside the city in the recent days while they tried to flee the war.

Also it is just the Iraqi army in the eastern front that has managed to breach the ISIS defence. Others including the Peshmerga, the Shia militias and the Sunni tribesmen who are part of the coalition are only consolidating their positions.?

Even before the operation was launched the Iraqi government had made it clear that only it army will enter Mosul.

AFP

This was aimed at dowsing fears of sectarian conflict in one of few Sunni dominated cities in Shia majority Iraq.

In fact it was the Sunni discontent over discrimination by the then Nouri al-Maliki government that 'helped' ISIS over run Mosul in 2014.