19 February 2017•Update: 19 February 2017
By Mohammed Walid and Serhad Shaker
NINEVEH, Iraq
Two people were killed in suicide bombings by Daesh militants in eastern Mosul on Sunday amid an ongoing offensive to oust the terrorist group from the northern Iraqi city.
A bomber blew himself up at a military headquarters in Nabi Yunus area in eastern Mosul, killing a soldier and injuring six others, anti-terrorism officer Brigadier-General Mohamed Abdullah told Anadolu Agency.
A Sunni tribesman was also killed when a bomber detonated his explosive belt near a restaurant in al-Zohour district, army colonel Ahmed al-Jabouri said.
“Eleven people, including five tribesmen, were also injured in the attack,” he added.
The bombings came as the Iraqi forces began an offensive on Sunday to drive Daesh from western Mosul.
In October, the Iraqi army -- backed by a U.S.-led air coalition and local allies on the ground -- began a wide-ranging campaign to retake Mosul, once Iraq’s second largest city in terms of population.
In January, the Iraqi army announced the "total liberation" of eastern Mosul -- after three months of fighting -- from the grip of the terrorist group.
Daesh has overrun Mosul -- along vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq -- in 2014.
