Early in the campaign, security forces were exceeding their goals and meeting less resistance than expected. On Friday, however, the situation appears to have changed. Special forces troops were forced to retreat from the Karama district in Mosul. Due to heavy numbers of militants and blocked roads, the counter terrorism service withdrew its forces in order to devise a better plan. Five other districts may have been captured, however.
The United Nations received information about militants in Hammam al-Alil conscripting boys as young as 9-years-old to fight in the Mosul operations.
Civilians from Mosul are arriving at medical centers complaining of symptoms of chlorine gas exposure.
Security forces captured areas near Tal Keif.
In some good news, happy reunions are taking place at the al-Khazer displacement camp where families who were separated by the Islamic State invasion are coming together.
At least 321 people were killed and 55 were wounded in recent violence:
In Mosul, three soldiers were killed and seven were wounded in clashes in the Kirkokli district that also left at least seven suicide bombers dead. Seven civilians died in a mortar attack. There are fears that militants executed 200 people.
Fighting in the Tahrir and Zahara districts left seven special forces soldiers dead and four wounded, including an officer; an embedded journalist was also wounded.
At a medical station in Gogjiali, at least two soldiers have died and 11 were treated. Fourteen civilians were treated, while one more died. The U.N. reported that militants executed 180 civilians in the neighborhood last week.
In the Quds neighborhood, four women were killed and 17 were wounded in an airstrike.
Near Hawija, police were giving a lift to a number of displaced people fleeing Daesh territory when the vehicle struck a bomb. Twelve civilians and a policeman were killed. Several more were wounded. Later, authorities indicated that one of the refugees might have been carrying the bomb.
Militants stormed a Shirqat mosque and killed seven security personnel.
In Baghdad, a bomb wounded two civilians.
Militants executed 50 of their own on desertion charges at the Ghazlani camp.
Shi’ite militiamen in areas west of Mosul killed 43 militants.
In Qayara, an airstrike killed four militants.
