Mosul: Iraqi forces on Monday were searching neighbourhoods of west Mosul that they retook weeks ago after a surprise militant attack that left several people dead, officials said.
The military on Monday also said that Iraqi troops have captured Mosul's Al Faruq neighbourhood, in the northwestern side of the Old City, from Daesh, the military said.
The district is located opposite the historic Grand Al Nuri Mosque, which was destroyed by the militants last week. Daesh is still in control of the mosque's ground.
Surprise attack
Sunday night's militant attack, which was claimed by Daesh, sowed panic among residents who returned to live in the Tanak and Yarmuk neighbourhoods of west Mosul.
A top commander in the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), which sent forces to fight Daesh gunmen, said the attackers had infiltrated the area by blending in with returning displaced civilians.
"The group came with the displaced and settled in the Tanak district. They regrouped and launched counter-attacks," Staff Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab Al Saadi told AFP.
"Yarmuk is being searched house to house," he said, adding that two groups of Daesh attackers were still believed to be in the area, which lies on the western edge of the city.
A CTS medic said the attack had caused several victims but he could not say how many.
"There are martyrs who were killed by Daesh," the medic said. He said 15 to 20 militant fighters were also killed in the battle.
Iraqi forces, led by the CTS, have for a week been pressing a perilous assault into the Old City in central Mosul, the last pocket still controlled by Daesh.
Federal forces backed a US-led coalition launched an offensive to retake the country's second city from Daesh more than eight months ago.
The east bank of Mosul, a city divided by the Tigris River, was retaken in January and a push to wrest back the western side was launched in mid-February.
More than 800,000 people have been displaced from the Mosul area since October last year and the security forces are struggling to carry out effective screening.
While the exact circumstances were unclear, Sunday night's attack was described as a diversionary tactic by west Mosul "sleeper cells" to ease the pressure on the Old City, where militants appear to be on their last legs.
"The sleeper cells carried out a surprise attack against the security forces, in an attempt to ease the siege on the Old City," a local official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"Operations to flush out pockets controlled by Daesh are ongoing," he said.
Hundreds of families, who in some cases had returned to their homes weeks ago, fled the area again overnight, fearing the return of Daesh rule.
