Iraqi army, federal police and special forces, backed by the US -led coalition, are slowly retaking territory in Mosul where IS remains in control of a small cluster of neighborhoods in the city's western half.
Separately, the director for Daesh public properties affairs in Tal Afar, identified as Abi al-Bara al-Qahtani, has stolen millions of dollars, and fled the area along with three of his close aides.
Meanwhile, the federal police and its Rapid Response forces have been fighting heavy clashes against IS militants in Bab al-Toub, al-Farouq and Bab al-Jadid neighborhoods at the southern and southwestern edges of the heavily-populated city center, Lt. Gen. Raid Shakir Jawdat, the commander of the federal police forces, said in a statement.
A large number of civilians - around 250,000, according to some estimates - are still trapped in west Mosul and can only flee once the security forces enter their neighbourhoods.
Furthermore, the media bureau of the Popular Mobilization Units, commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi, announced that the pro-government fighters had cut off the road linking al-Qirwan region to the mainly Izadi-inhabited Sinjar town.
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Torrance's Forecast: - Hello everyone, hope you were able to enjoy part of your Saturday before it became completely overcast. However, a couple of leftover showers could still mix in as low pressure churns over the area and away from us.
The joint operations command of the Iraqi armed forces said that the militants shot down the helicopter Iraqi air force West of Mosul.
"This includes more than 434,000 displaced from western Mosul since mid-February", Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), told reporters at the UN's Geneva headquarters. People speak of conditions that are desperate and worsening.
In October 2016, the Iraqi army - backed by US-led coalition airstrikes and local allies on the ground - began a wide-ranging operation to retake Mosul, Daish's last bastion in northern Iraq, which the terrorist group overran in 2014.
"They also tell UNHCR that there are no basic services in the city, no food, no water and no fuel", he added.
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