BARTALLA: Iraqi forces battled militants deep inside Mosul on Wednesday, edging closer to the River Tigris that divides the city and looking for a breakthrough in the seven-week-old offensive.

The 9th Armoured Division said it had retaken Al-Salam hospital in a push on Tuesday, the farthest the army has penetrated into east Mosul since the start of a broad offensive launched on Oct 17.

“We advanced in Al-Salam district but the situation is difficult, there is heavy fighting,” said Brigadier General Shaker Kadhem. “We took control of Al-Salam hospital, which was a command centre for Daesh,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) has spearheaded the drive into Mosul in the past month, retaking several neighbourhoods in the east of the city.

The army also punched into Mosul in November but its progress has been slower and Iraqi forces barely control half of the eastern side of the city.

A senior CTS officer said the fighting in Al-Salam was fierce and the army had asked for backup. “The 9th Division’s situation is difficult and they have called for support. We are sending a regiment there,” the officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said the militants had carried out five suicide car bomb attacks in the area during the past 24 hours. It said the army was holed up in the hospital compound and had suffered heavy losses. Iraqi officers did not provide any casualty toll for the latest fighting.

The Joint Operations Command supervising the fight against IS said CTS forces had retaken the eastern Mosul neighbourhood of Ilam on Wednesday.

The United Nations on Wednesday put the overall number of people displaced by the offensive at more than 82,000. In its latest situation report, the UN spoke of spiralling civilian casualties as Iraqi forces went house to house in east Mosul, attempting to battle militants and protect civilians at the same time. “Partners are rushing to bring trauma care closer to the front lines to give injured civilians the best chance of survival,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

Published in Dawn December 8th, 2016