Battle For The Iraqi City Of Mosul -- News Updates May 18, 2017

Soldiers from Iraq's elite Emergency Response Division fill ammunition clips in a house on the frontline in west Mosul. The troops have been issued with gas masks in response to a string of ISIL poison gas attacks. Florian Neuhof for The National

The National: ISIL resorts to using poison gas to slow Iraq troops in Mosul

MOSUL // Cornered and on the brink of defeat, ISIL has resorted to the widespread use of poison gas to slow the advance of Iraqi troops in Mosul.

Iraqi special forces fighting in Mosul and the Federal Police units deployed in support have been the target of sustained gas attacks since at least April, officers and soldiers in the city have told The National. The gas used in these attacks is thought to be chlorine or mustard gas.

The battle to liberate the city from the terror group is entering its final stages after seven months of bitter fighting. Recent gains by the military has reduced the area under ISIL control to just over 10 per cent of the city on the west bank of the Tigris river, said Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Iraqi high command.

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WNU Editor: The Islamic State's propaganda arm is still functioning .... Graphic 40-min propaganda video depicts battle of Mosul shown from ISIS’ perspective (AMN).

Battle For The Iraqi City Of Mosul -- News Updates May 18, 2017

Iraq troops face Isil chemical attacks in final battle for Mosul -- The Telegraph.
Airstrikes fuel Mosul gains as Iraq pushes for quick victory -- Washington Post/AP
Updated: Paramilitary troops free airbase, more villages, west of Mosul -- Iraqi News
On Mosul front, Iraqi forces come as civilians go -- AFP
Reports keep emerging that US-backed forces are executing ISIS fighters in Mosul -- Business Insider
Iraqi army claims more than 16,000 ISIS militants killed in Mosul offensive -- RUDAW
Tensions Rise in Sinjar as Iraqi Militia Occupies Villages Liberated from Daesh -- Sputnik
Islamic State mining Mosul to stop families fleeing as Iraqi forces advance -- Reuters
Humanitarian crisis escalates in Mosul as besieged residents face starvation -- RUDAW
Mosul: 200,000 more people could be displaced as battle nears Old City – UN -- UN News Centre
UN: 200,000 more people may flee Mosul fighting -- Al Jazeera
UN says struggling to cope with Mosul exodus -- AFP