Baghdad, Reuters, 1 May 2017 – Iraqi forces resumed battle on Monday to try to regain control over parts of Mosul amid expectations that the battle to reclaim the city’s old area would be completed soon, sources on the ground have said.

Iraqi army is targeting areas with heavy artillery close to Mosul while the coalition’s air force continued its air raids targeting ISIS locations. A source said that armed men have detonated four car bombs in the past 24 hours. Federal police also announced the killing of dozens of ISIS members in the last few hours as a result of intensive air strikes.

The security force source said that the Iraqi military units are expected to launch a large-scale offensive to recover the remainder of the old area within the next 48 hours. The forces are now close to the liberation of al-Nuri Mosque and its famous Hadba Minaret.

The Iraqi army chief, Osman al-Ghanmi, added that “the right side of Mosul will be completely restored before Ramadan, and the Iraqi forces will execute the liberation of the city within three weeks at the most.”

“Iraqi forces control 40 percent of the old town of Mosul, and that the regions under ISIS command is around 35 percent of the city and 3.8 percent of the total extent of Iraq,” al-Ghanmi added.