U.S.-led coalition warplanes on Tuesday struck a bridge in ISIL-held Mosul in an effort to cut the terrorist group’s supply in an out of the city.
According to Iraqi military sources, it is the fifth bridge to be struck in Mosul by coalition fighter jets within the context of weeks-long offensive to retake the city that came under the control of ISIL in mid-2014.
Referencing Ismail Zahid, Iraqi army officer, Anadolu news agency reported that the coalition warplanes had struck the bridge twice with a view to cutting ISIL’s supply lines.
Zahid told Anadolu agency that the air assaults had seriously damaged the bridge, which links the city’s western and eastern halves.
"Our objective is to render the bridge inoperable without destroying it entirely," Zahid said.
In a related development Tuesday, Iraqi military aircraft dropped thousands of leaflets over Mosul urging residents to "rise up" against ISIL and support Iraqi army and security forces, the army said in a statement.
Iraqi army has gained ground in their counter-terrorism operation. According to Iraqi army general, the forces have managed to completely liberate Al-Barid, reaching the outskirts of the nearby Al-Muthanna neighborhood.
Safwan Nayif, another army major-general, told Anadolu Agency that counter-terrorism forces — in tandem with fierce coalition airstrikes — had effectively destroyed all ISIL hideouts in the area.
"We hoisted the Iraqi flag over several homes in the neighborhood to show that the district was now under the control of the armed forces," Nayif said.
