Islamic State frees Mosul prisoners as grip on last major city slips
Prisoner release signals IS being over run my Iraqi forces
Islamic State (IS) has released dozens of prisoners held in jails in the districts of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul that remain under its control, residents said on Saturday.
The release of the prisoners on Friday is another sign that the militants are being overwhelmed by the US-backed Iraqi offensive that started on October 17 last year to dislodge them from Mosul, their last major city stronghold in Iraq.
IS lost most cities it captured in Iraq back in 2014 and 2015.
Among those released were people who had been caught selling cigarettes, violating a smoking ban, or in possession of a mobile phone and therefore suspected of communicating with the outside world, the residents said.
Iraqi forces dislodged IS from the eastern side of Mosul in January, and, on February 19, launched the offensive on the districts located west of the Tigris river.
The state-run TV said on Friday that about half western Mosul has
been taken back from the militants who are besieged in the old
city centre and districts to the north.
One of the men, who was released on Friday, said two militants got him out of a basement where he was held captive with other people,
blindfolded the group and drove them away on a bus.
"After driving a distance, we stopped and they told us to
remove the blindfolds and then they said go, you are free," he
said over the phone, adding that about 25 prisoners were on the bus.
The man, who requested not to be identified, said that he
spent two weeks in prison for selling cigarettes.
One Mosul resident said his brother had suddenly reappeared
at their house on Friday after spending a month in captivity for
possessing a mobile phone.
The release of the prisoners on Friday is another sign that the militants are being overwhelmed by the US-backed Iraqi offensive that started on October 17 last year to dislodge them from Mosul, their last major city stronghold in Iraq.
IS lost most cities it captured in Iraq back in 2014 and 2015.
Among those released were people who had been caught selling cigarettes, violating a smoking ban, or in possession of a mobile phone and therefore suspected of communicating with the outside world, the residents said.
Iraqi forces dislodged IS from the eastern side of Mosul in January, and, on February 19, launched the offensive on the districts located west of the Tigris river.
The state-run TV said on Friday that about half western Mosul has
been taken back from the militants who are besieged in the old
city centre and districts to the north.
One of the men, who was released on Friday, said two militants got him out of a basement where he was held captive with other people,
blindfolded the group and drove them away on a bus.
"After driving a distance, we stopped and they told us to
remove the blindfolds and then they said go, you are free," he
said over the phone, adding that about 25 prisoners were on the bus.
The man, who requested not to be identified, said that he
spent two weeks in prison for selling cigarettes.
One Mosul resident said his brother had suddenly reappeared
at their house on Friday after spending a month in captivity for
possessing a mobile phone.