国际英语资讯:Iraqi forces push deeper in city center of western Mosul_时事

国际英语资讯:Iraqi forces push deeper in city center of western Mosul

Near Mosul, the army's 9th armored Division and the Shiite paramilitary Hashd Shaabi unit seized part of the town of Badush and surrounded the nearby cement plant in northwest of Mosul, according to the statement.

The troops have been fighting heavy clashes in Badush during the past few days, as the the troops managed on Wednesday to recapture Badush prison, the statement said.

The troops also found two mass graves near Badush prison for people said to be killed by IS militants without giving details about the number of the victims.

However, the Hashd Shaabi units announced earlier in the day they had discovered a mass grave at Badush prison containing the remains of hundreds of people executed by the extremist group.

The presence of armored division and the Hashd Shaabi is aimed at surrounding Mosul from the west to cut off the escape route from Mosul and the neighboring Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, announced the start of an offensive on Feb. 19 to drive extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul.

Late in January, Abadi declared the liberation of the eastern side of Mosul, or the left bank of Tigris, after more than 100 days of fighting against IS militants.

However, the western part of Mosul, with its narrow streets and a population of between 750,000 and 800,000, appears to be a bigger challenge to the Iraqi forces.