BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – Around 90 percent of Iraq’s eastern Mosul has been purged of its Daeshi occupiers, a high ranking commander says.
Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi made the announcement as clashes were raging on between Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces and terrorists.
Meanwhile, CTS spokesman Sabah al-Noman said that Iraqi forces had managed to take full control Nabi Yunus area, where earlier in the day they had liberated an important mosque which is a popular pilgrimage location.  
"We retook control of Nabi Yunus area... raised the Iraqi flag above the tomb," he said, adding that several other neighborhoods were also liberated during the Monday anti-terror operations.
Daesh targeted Iraqi troops with at least three car bombs in Mosul’s neighborhoods of Shurta and Andalus, where special forces are engaged with the terrorists.
"It has been three days since the counter-terrorism service began encircling (this district) and thank God, today they were able to clear the area completely. The situation will become better," said a resident of Andalus.
Both neighborhoods are located close to the eastern bank of the Tigris river, and within sight of the city's northernmost bridge which spans the river.
Once the east bank is fully recaptured, Iraqi forces will launch operations to retake western Mosul from the terrorists.
The developments come as two car bombs have targeted the Tal Yabes district of eastern Mosul, killing 14 civilians and one soldier.
The bombings, which occurred on Tuesday, also wounded 12 people.
A total of 137,880 people have been displaced from Mosul and neighboring areas ever since the start of the Iraqi operations, according to figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on January 9.
Daesh has been blocking the normal exit of civilians from the city.
Meanwhile, Iraqi forces have fully liberated two more areas in eastern Mosul, including the Bab al-Shams. An official with the security forces said Iraqi flags have been raised on buildings across the two neighborhood and that heavy human and material losses were inflicted on the Daesh terrorists in the areas during the course of the operations.