Iraqi forces say 1,000 IS fighters killed in Mosul

Six weeks into a major offensive, Iraqi forces have captured nearly half of eastern Mosul, moving from district to district against jihadist snipers, suicide attackers and car bombs. 

Elite Iraqi troops, known as the “Golden Division”, are the only brigades to have entered Mosul from the east, with Iraqi army, federal police and Kurdish Peshmerga  units surrounding the city to the north and south. Shi’ite militias are trying to complete the encirclement from the west. 

The US trained Counter Terrorism Service unit breached Islamic State’s defenses at the end of October, but has been slowed by the militants’ mobile tactics and concern over civilian casual-ties preventing the use of tanks and heavy armor. 

Major General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, one of the commanders of the special forces, said troops had adapted their tactics, surrounding one district at a time to cut off the militants’ supplies and protect civilians. “Progress was faster at the start. The reason is we were operating before in areas without resi-dents,” Asadi told.