Iraqi forces continue clashes with IS in Mosul

Iraqi security forces continued on Thursday their advance near the city of Mosul and recaptured a village from the Islamic State (IS) militants, security sources said.

The Iraqi army and allied Sunni tribal fighters made a new progress and took control of the village of Abbas al-Rajab near the archeological site of Nimrud, which located some 30 km south of Mosul, according to a statement by a media office affiliated to the Joint Operations Command (JOC).

The troops are expected to recapture the ancient Assyrian archeological site of Nimrud, which was founded in the 13th century B.C. and became the capital of Assyrian empire.

The move was part of a campaign against heritage sites under the control of the IS extremist militants, in addition to other archeological sites in the ancient province of Nineveh.

Also in the day, the troops fought fierce clashes with IS militants in the districts of Intisar, Jadidat al-Mufti and Shaymaa in the eastern side of Mosul, killing 13 militants, including a local IS leader named Khalid al-Mtaiwati, and destroying three booby trapped motorcycles, the statement said.

Earlier in the month, the Iraqi army made a significant progress at the eastern side of Mosul, and managed to seize six districts.

The advance unleashed the most intense street battles against IS militants since the offensive to retake the city which started more than three weeks ago.

The battles inside Mosul pushed the number of displaced civilians to around 34,860 since the start of the military offensive, according to the recent report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

On Oct. 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of the major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Since then, the Iraqi security forces have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city, preparing for a major battle to storm the city and drive out IS militants.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.