Iraqi soldiers are in control of the road linking west Mosul with the Islamic State group-held town of Tal Afar, isolating jihadists in the city, a senior commander said Wednesday.

Iraqi forces are battling inside west Mosul to retake it from IS in a major push launched on February 19, but have also moved through the surrounding desert to cut the area off from Tal Afar and increase pressure on the jihadists.

"We control the road by fire," said Staff Lieutenant General Qassem al-Maliki, the commander of Iraq's 9th Armoured Division.

Maliki said that while his soldiers have not reached the road, they can fire on targets on it, putting it under their effective control.

A team of US soldiers has been working with the 9th Division for nearly two months, including during their push through the desert to the Mosul-Tal Afar road.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and other support have since regained most of the territory they lost.

The operation to retake Mosul -- the last IS-held city in the country -- was launched on October 17.

Iraq forces meet 'fierce' resistance in southwest Mosul: commander
Mosul, Iraq (AFP) March 1, 2017 - Iraqi special forces are facing "fierce" resistance as they battle the Islamic State group in southwest Mosul, a commander said on Wednesday.

Iraq launched a major push on February 19 to recapture the rest of Mosul from IS, retaking the airport and then pushing up from the south.

Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service is fighting "for the (Maamun) Flats area, which is considered very important for control of the Baghdad road and the surrounding neighbourhoods," Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi told AFP.

"The resistance is violent and fierce because they're defending this line and this line, in our opinion, is the main line for them," said Assadi, a top CTS commander.

The damage in the Maamun area is heavy, with homes destroyed, roads cratered and rows of crumpled cars, some of them piled one on top of another.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes and other support have since regained much of the ground they lost.

Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake Mosul -- the last IS-held city in the country -- on October 17, first recapturing its east before setting their sights on the smaller but more densely populated west.

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Iraqi civilians flee fighting, privation in west Mosul
South Of Mosul, Iraq (AFP) Feb 28, 2017
Hundreds of civilians fled through the desert Tuesday to escape fighting and privation in Mosul, joining thousands of others who left their homes amid dire conditions in the city's west. Iraqi forces launched a major push on February 19 to recapture the west of Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group, retaking the airport and then advancing north. Security forces reached the southern ... read more

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