The Iraqi Army General Command reported that their forces have captured dozens of neighborhoods in the city of Mosul after fierce clashes with ISIS.

The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Units and army forces secured at least 46 neighborhoods in eastern Mosul.

According to the Iraqi Army General Command, the first phase of the battle for Mosul was concluded on Saturday, and ISIS has so far lost more than 44% of territory it used to control in Nineveh Governorate.

In the meantime, local sources told ARA News that ISIS militants continued bombing residential buildings in eastern Mosul with mortar shells and heavy artillery. Dozens of civilian casualties were reported in the past few days in the eastern part of Mosul.

“On Saturday, at least ten civilians were killed and 17 others wounded under ISIS shells in eastern Mosul,” Haidar al-Khalidi, a journalist inside Mosul, told ARA News.

On October 17th, 2016, the Iraqi forces launched a major battle for Mosul to liberate the city and its surroundings from ISIS.

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