Mortar fire kills 15 in Iraq’s Mosul

By Ahmed Qassem and Ibrahim Salih

BAGHDAD

At least 15 civilians were killed Sunday when mortar shells struck their homes in Mosul amid an ongoing offensive to oust Daesh terrorist group from the northern Iraqi city.

Several shells hit a number of houses in the districts of al-Nour and Tamim in eastern Mosul, medic Ahmed al-Halbousi told Anadolu Agency.

“Fifteen bodies were transferred to the field hospital in Gogjali areas on Mosul outskirts,” he said.

He said seven members of the same family were among the victims.

The source of the fire is not yet known.

Meanwhile, Iraqi commander Abdul-Amir Raheed Yar Allah said Iraqi forces managed on Sunday to capture al-Nour district in eastern Mosul from Daesh militants.

“Our forces have flown the Iraqi flag on buildings in the area,” he said, adding that the terrorist group has rendered heavy losses.

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

Iraqi officials have vowed to seize control of the city, which fell to Daesh in mid-2014 along with vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq, by the year-end.