World Bulletin / News Desk
Two Iraqi soldiers were killed in clashes with ISIL militants in western Mosul, an Iraqi officer said Monday.
Deadly clashes erupted between anti-terrorism forces and ISIL militants in Al-Tanak and Al-Thawra districts in the city's western side, Army Captain Jabbar Hassan told Anadolu Agency.
"Two members of the anti-terrorism forces were killed in the clashes," he said.
Hassan said Iraqi forces have made rapid advances in Al-Tanak district. "We are expected to liberate the area today," he said.
In February, Iraqi ground forces -- backed by a U.S.-led air coalition -- began fresh operations aimed at ousting ISIL from western Mosul, the terrorist group’s last bastion in northern Iraq.
The offensive is part of a wider campaign launched last October to retake the entire city, which ISIL overran in mid-2014.