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Rain, fog thwart Iraqi forces' push to close in on IS-held Mosul Old City

Rain and fog forced Iraqi government troops to halt their push against Islamic State in Mosul's Old City on Thursday but the militants holed up in its houses and narrow alleyways took advantage of the lull to hit back.

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Rain and fog forced Iraqi government troops to halt their push against Islamic State in Mosul's Old City on Thursday but the militants holed up in its houses and narrow alleyways took advantage of the lull to hit back.

The army and security forces have made significant gains in recent days in the battle that started in October, seizing a main bridge over the Tigris river and advancing towards the mosque in the Old City from where Islamic State's leader declared a caliphate in 2014.

Mosul has been the hardline militants' main urban stronghold in Iraq but they have steadily lost ground since the offensive began and Iraqi leaders say the battle is reaching its final stages.

Earlier on Thursday, government forces were attempting to encircle the Old City to bottle up Islamic State fighters. Several more areas of western Mosul had been recaptured, including the hospital, over Wednesday and Thursday morning but officers said progress was slowed by car bombs and booby-traps in houses and alleyways. Then the advance was put on hold.

"Operations in the Mosul west Old City have been halted on Thursday due to bad, rainy weather. We can't advance without airstrikes cover due to the fog," a Rapid Response unit spokesman said.

IS hit back with sporadic attacks on government positions, including mortar fire, reporters at the scene said.

A Federal Police officer confirmed the halt and said commanders were meeting to adjust their plans.

"The new offensive plans should adapt with the difficult terrain of the complicated, narrow alleys," he said. "The tight roads prevent us from using armored vehicles and that will definitely leave our soldiers vulnerable to enemy fire. New plans under study will tackle this issue."

The need to ensure the safety of civilians, many of them hungry from a lack of provisions and traumatized by living under Islamic State's harsh rule, was also a priority.

As many as 6,000 IS fighters remained in Mosul, including other Aran nationalities and foreigners, Federal Police Major General Haidar Dhirgham said, talking inside the city at a police forces forward base as refugees trudged through the muddy streets and wrecked houses.

IS Suicide bombers had driven explosive-rigged cars at troops, he said. There had been three such attacks on Thursday morning. Troops has also seized buildings in which suicide vehicles were being prepared.

"The enemy...has started to set fire to houses which means that are on the retreat. They have destroyed homes and have destroyed families," Dhirgham said, speaking before the halt was called.

Mosul has served as Islamic State's de facto capital since its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself head of a caliphate spanning Iraq and Syria from the Nuri Mosque in July 2014. The black IS flag still flew from the mosque's leaning minaret on Thursday.

The recapture of the city by the government would drive the remnants of the IS army into the hinterlands. In neighbouring Syria, three separate forces are advancing on the city of Raqqa, the main Syrian city under Islamic State control.

As well as waging jihad in Iraq and Syria, the militants have inspired attacks in cities in Europe, Africa and elsewhere that have killed hundreds of civilians.

U.S. and other Western countries have been providing air, artillery and other support to the Mosul offensive, reflecting the international concern over the IS threat.

However, the presence of tens of thousands of civilians in IS-held areas means that simply pulverising them is a risky proposition. Thousands of residents have escaped to government lines in recent days but it has been impossible to tally the number of civilian casualties.

"We will liberate civilians before liberating the land," Dhirgham said.

"I expect the liberation of Mosul completely in one month. I will not tell you one or two weeks, because that's not true, but within one or two months it will be completely liberated."

 

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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