Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil of the special forces told The Associated Press that his men have retaken the neighborhoods of Amn, Qahira and Green Apartments and were expanding their foothold in the densely populated district of Zohour.
The neighborhoods are all east of the Tigris River, where most of the fighting has taken place since the government’s campaign to liberate the city began last month. A U.S.-led coalition is carrying out airstrikes to support the troops.
Also on Thursday, the Iraqi army rounded up scores of Iraqi male residents in the Gogjali neighborhood of Mosul and urged them to come out with information of any Islamic State members among them. An Iraqi officer addressed the group (pictured above), demanding to know the whereabouts of alleged IS militants who opened fire on troops a few days earlier.
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