Iraq begins operation to liberate last ISIS-held Mosul region

Iraqi forces have launched an offensive to retake the last enclave controlled by ISIS in the northern city of Mosul as the Takfiri terrorist group is getting final blows in the Arab country.

Iraqi forces have launched an offensive to retake the last enclave controlled by ISIS in the northern city of Mosul as the Takfiri terrorist group is getting final blows in the Arab country.

The Iraqi military announced the beginning of the operation in a statement released on Saturday one day after the air force dropped leaflets urging residents in Mosul’s Old City center to flee through safe corridors.

The targeted Mosul enclave covers mainly the Old City center and three adjacent districts alongside the western bank of the Tigris River.

On Friday, Stephen O’Brien, United Nations under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, estimated that as many as 200,000 Iraqis may flee Mosul in the coming days.

Reports say almost 760,000 people have already escaped the embattled Iraqi city over the past months.

Civilians trapped in Mosul suffer from a dire lack of food, water and fuel while they have limited access to hospitals.