Iraqi security leader Fadel Berrawy revealed that the military operation to liberate Howeija district of Kirkuk province after the end of current operations witnessed in Mousl to liberate the city from the grip of the extremist group. Meanwhile, local official of Karbalaa revealed the killing of 11 Iraqi soldiers in the western area of Anbar province.

According to local sources, extremist ISIS group launched Friday an attack against the border guards, saying that the clashes continued for hours. They added that the military forces managed to counter the attack. Member of Karbala Council Mahfoz Al Tamimi said that ISIS extremist elements are existed in Anbar desert, saying that they killed about 17 soldeiers

In the same context, Major Gen. Maan Al-Saadi, a senior commander within the counter terrorism forces declared the start of storming Al-Aghawat district in Mosul right bank. US-backed Iraqi forces have launched a large-scale military operation to dislodge (ISIS) militants from the western half of Mosul city, which has been in the hands of extremists since 2014.

Special forces from the Iraqi Interior Ministry will change tactics on Saturday and turn to defense in its battles against Islamic State militants due to bad weather conditions, according to a senior commander.

Maj. Thamer Ismail, commander of the Rapid Response forces, one of the elite forces leading the operations against IS in western Mosul, said combat missions for Saturday will rely on air and artillery strikes due to bad weather conditions in the city.

“Security forces will take the defense line today due to worsening weather conditions in Mosul..targets will be concentrated and (handled) via aircraft and artillery to exhaust Daesh (Islamic State),” Alghad Press quoted him saying. Ismail said forces shall proceed towards liberating the remaining regions of western Mosul once the weather gets better.

Iraqi government forces took over eastern Mosul in January after three months of fighting with IS, and have entered a third week of operations to clear the western region from militants. The troops have become closer to the central Mosul’s Old City, having recaptured major government facilities, a military base and the city’s airport. Weather conditions had been one reason behind occasional operation slowdowns during battles at the east of the city.

Iraqi Federal Police forces have detained 40 Islamic State members in Mosul areas which security forces had taken over, according to a senior operations commander.

Lt. Gen. Najm al-Jubouri, commander of the Nineveh Operations, said in statements Saturday that Federal Police forces arrested 40 during searches in the southern region of western Mosul. Those, he said, included Arab and foreign nationals.

The arrests were made after residents of those areas tipped off police about the suspects, according to Jubouri who revealed that police intelligence offices were opened in liberated areas to receive civilians’ information about IS vestiges.

The commander said the forces, carrying out the searches at the southern area, had found three underground tunnels used by the extremist group, adding that those tunnels, which extended beneath houses previously occupied by the militants, led to the western town of Tal Afar.

Iraqi government forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, took over eastern Mosul in January after three months of fighting with IS, and have entered a third week of operations to clear the western region from militants. The troops have become closer to the central Mosul’s Old City, having recaptured major government facilities, a military base and the city’s airport.