The Battle For Mosul -- News Updates December 28, 2016

Washington Post: As fight in Mosul slows, last bridge in the city is hit by an airstrike

As the battle for Mosul enters its fourth month, the U.S.-led coalition has destroyed the last remaining bridge connecting the western and eastern parts of Iraq’s second-largest city.

Held by the Islamic State since June 2014 and besieged by advancing Iraqi and allied militias since mid-October, Mosul is bisected by the Tigris River. Five bridges spanned the waterway, all of which have now been destroyed in an effort to cripple Islamic State resupply efforts aimed at relieving their militants fighting in the eastern part of the city.

On Tuesday, the Islamic State-aligned news agency Amaq released a statement that the bridge — known as the Old Bridge — had been destroyed in an airstrike. The U.S.-led coalition’s spokesman, U.S. Air Force Col. John Dorrian, confirmed Tuesday that the “final bridge” separating the two parts of the city had been hit Monday night, but he said the damage was repairable.

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The Battle For Mosul -- News Updates December 28, 2016

Mosul battle: Last bridge 'disabled by air strike' -- BBC
Terror setback: Airstrike takes out Mosul's last functioning bridge -- FOX News
Air strike disables Mosul's last bridge: residents -- AFP
Reinforced Iraqi troops to launch fresh bid to take Mosul from Isis -- The Independent
US Troops to Deploy Near Mosul Frontline, Trying to Revive Stalled Offensive -- Sputnik
ISIS Threatens U.S. Troops Embedding Near Mosul -- Vocativ
Mosul Offensive Operations Set To Resume: Analysis -- Stratfor
‘Difficult to predict’ when Mosul will fall: US officer -- Anadolu Agency
Iraqi Military Losses, Civilian Displacement Numbers Below Expectations - FM -- Sputnik
Iraqi Forces Liberate 40 of 56 Mosul Districts From Daesh - Foreign Minister -- Sputnik
Battle for Mosul becomes savage war of attrition as Iraqis, allies tighten noose around ISIL -- Matthew Fisher, National Post
Displaced residents from Mosul seek medical care -- DW
Mosul residents face battle for survival -- Relief Web