Iraq begins offensive to free western Mosul from Daesh

“We announce the start of a new phase in the operation,” al-Abadi said in a televised statement. 

While Iraqi forces moved on the area from the city’s northern and western fronts, fighters of the pro-government al-Hashd al-Shaabi militia attacked the area from the west, military spokesman Brigadier-General Yahya Rashool said. 

“Our forces are advancing toward their set targets,” he told Anadolu Agency. 

Shortly after forces began to move on the city’s western side, Iraq’s Defense Ministry said its forces have captured three villages and a power plant in western Mosul. 

In October, the Iraqi army -- backed by a U.S.-led air coalition and local allies on the ground -- began a wide-ranging campaign to retake Mosul, once Iraq’s second largest city in terms of population. 

In January, the Iraqi army announced the "total liberation" of eastern Mosul -- after three months of fighting -- from the grip of the terrorist group. 

Daesh has overrun Mosul -- along vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq -- in 2014.

Anadolu Agency