16 civilians killed in Daesh attacks in Iraq's Mosul

By Arif Yusuf and Safiye Karabacak

MOSUL, Iraq

A total of 16 civilians were killed Sunday when Daesh terrorists carried out attacks in the Iraq city of Mosul, according to the country's military sources.

A howitzer attack carried out by the terrorists in a northeastern neighborhood of the province left 11 people dead. Separately, at least five people, including three children, were killed in another howitzer attack at a civilian building east of the city.

In mid-October, the Iraqi army -- backed by U.S.-led coalition warplanes and local allies on the ground -- launched a major offensive to retake Mosul, Daesh’s last major stronghold in northern Iraq.

Officials in Baghdad have vowed to retake the city, which fell to Daesh in mid-2014, by year’s end.