The Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that troops began advancing on western Mosul. Officials warned the estimated 800,000 residents living there by dropping informative leaflets on the western neighborhoods still within Islamic State control. Maj. Gen. Rupert Jones, a British deputy commander, believes capturing west Mosul will take more than 100 days. The capture of east Mosul, which was expected to be easier, took over three months.
At least 85 were killed and 84 more were wounded:
In Mosul, a jet bombed a medical building that the Coalition claimed is being used by ISIS/Daesh. The Coalition reported killing 24 militants; however, Daesh claimed 18 civilians were killed and 47 were wounded. Without independent journalists in the city, it is impossible to know who is telling the truth. It is even possible that both sets of figures are correct.
Three women were killed and 10 others were wounded when a drone dropped explosives on a market in Mosul’s Hayy al-Intisar neighborhood. A Katyusha rocket attack in Hayy al-Jazair left four civilians dead and nine wounded.
In the Tal Afar region, militants attacked militiamen stationed in several villages. Fifteen militiamen were killed, and 12 more were wounded. Twenty militants were killed.
A bomb killed one person and wounded three more in Madaen.
An I.E.D. in Sharqat killed one militant and wounded three more.
