Source: ET
“They had trimmed their beards and changed their clothes,” the former businessman said. “They must be scared… they are also probably preparing to escape the city.”Residents and military officials said many Islamic State fighters had relocated from eastern Mosul to their traditional bastions on the western bank of the Tigris river, closer to escape routes to Syria.The sounds of fighting on the northern and eastern fronts of the Mosul offensive could now be heard inside the city, residents said, and US-led coalition aircraft were flying lower over the city than usual.Tens of thousands of Iraqi fighters have been advancing on Mosul from the south, east and north after an offensive was launched on October 17 to retake the last major Iraqi city under IS control.The assault is being backed with air and ground support from the US-led coalition which launched its campaign against IS two years ago, shortly after the extremists seized control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.
Categories: Asia, Iraq, Middle East