Iraqi forces have launched an offensive to advance toward the eastern borders of the city of Mosul from three new axes.

The Joint Operations Command coordinating Iraq’s war on the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group said the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) and army troops launched a campaign “to advance toward the left bank of the city of Mosul from three axes.”

The Tigris River flows through Mosul; thus, Iraqis refer to the city’s eastern half as the “left bank” and its western part as the “right bank.”

A senior officer with the CTS said outside the recently-recaptured town of Bartalla that only two villages separate the Iraqi forces from Mosul.

“The target is to retake Bazwaya and Gogjali, the last two villages before Mosul,” he said, adding, “If we manage that, we’ll only be a few hundred meters from Mosul.”

The operations to liberate Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and Daesh’s self-proclaimed headquarters in the Arab country, have entered their third week.

By Press TV