ISIL continues defensive fight in battle for Mosul

World Today

ISIL continues defensive fight in battle for Mosul

ISIL may use chemical weapons and human shields as the advance to retake Mosul continues. Commanders leading the advance said that the operation could take months. At the same time, civilians are fleeing the area in mass.

CCTV’s Stephanie Freid reports.

Joint operations to retake Mosul continue – the U.S. military reports destroying ISIL artillery and mortar systems, rocket and fighting positions and supply caches.

The extremists are fighting back using guerilla warfare. ISIL may not stay forever but they will fight unconventionally: possibly using chemical weapons, human shields and booby trapping entire neighborhoods.

Civilians are fleeing, as up to a million Iraqis live in the area.

There are reports of heavy fighting. Kurdish officials said ISIL blew up at least two buildings in central Mosul.

Despite predictions that the current advance could take months, Iraq’s army continues closing in on Mosul, securing more than a dozen villages on the city’s outskirts and capturing ISIL operatives. A top Iraqi military general is calling on ISIL fighters to surrender before it’s too late.


Mowaffak Al-Rubaic discusses the Mosul offensive

To discuss the state of the Mosul offensive and the trials facing the fighters ahead, CCTV America’s Elaine Reyes spoke earlier with Mowaffak Al-Rubaic, a member of the Iraqi Parliament.