Iraqi forces have broken through the Eastern Front and "entered Mosul". This was announced by General Wissam Araji, of the US-trained counter-terrorism services, quoted by Reuters. The general says the troops are now in the eastern district of Karama. Contacted by telephone in Baghdad, Iraqi general Mohamad confirmed that the troops entered the city through Gagjali, the first suburb east of the 'capital' of the Caliphate. The soldiers who launched the offensive this morning captured the farms near the Gagjali district, the first suburb east of central Mosul, a city with a population of one and a half million.
At least 5.000 – according to Pentagon data – jihadists ready for a last desperate defense. The anti-Isis forces can count on over 40.000 units of infantry along all fronts of the offensive but the military authorities are nonetheless cautious, saying that the offensive to recapture Mosul, the largest military operation since the US invasion of Iraq to bring down Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, it could still last weeks or months. Kurdish Peshmerga and pro-Iranian Shiite militias are also taking part in the fighting.
The military launched the offensive this morning, they took the farms to the east, after two weeks of fighting to remove it from the control of the Islamic State. The offensive against the jihadist group began on October 17 and since then Iraqi and Peshmerga forces have advanced slowly but without interruption on the eastern, northern and southern fronts.
