Iraqi forces move to retake another Mosul neighbourhood

A senior Iraqi commander says troops are moving to take another neighbourhood in the eastern sector of the northern city of Mosul but are meeting stiff resistance from Islamic State militants.

A senior Iraqi commander says troops are moving to take another neighbourhood in the eastern sector of the northern city of Mosul but are meeting stiff resistance from Islamic State militants.

A member of the Iraqi Federal Police fires his weapon at an Islamic State group target on the front line near the village of Tall Adh-Dhahab, some 10 km south of Mosul. (AFP)

Brig Gen Haider Fadel of the special forces tells The Associated Press that IS fighters are targeting his forces with rockets and mortars as they slowly advance in the densely populated al-Zohour neighbourhood on Tuesday.

He says they’re “cautiously advancing”.

Iraq’s military launched a campaign on October 17 to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city and the last major IS urban bastion in the country.

Most gains have been made by the special forces operating east of the Tigris River. Other forces are advancing on the city from different directions, and the US-led coalition is providing airstrikes and other support.

Read | Christian heritage found ransacked as monastery retaken from Islamic State