Iraqi forces are facing increasingly difficult fighting and a rising number of suicide bombings in the final stages of the battle for Mosul, senior commanders said on Monday.
Following recent suicide bombings by two girls, security forces in the Old City were seen ordering civilians to remove some of their clothing before approaching to guard against the threat.
More than eight months since the start of the operation to retake Mosul from the Daesh group, the militants have gone from fully controlling the city to holding a limited area on its western side, but resistance is still tough.
"The fighting is becoming harder every day because of the nature of the Old City," Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani Al Assadi, a commander in the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), said of the area of narrow streets and closely spaced buildings where the end of the battle for Mosul is unfolding.
Iraqi forces have been closing in on the Old City in west Mosul for months, but the terrain combined with a large civilian population has made for an extremely difficult fight.
The same conditions that aid militant defences also serve to shield Iraqi forces from snipers, Assadi said, and "our losses are not to the level that would prevent us from advancing."
Staff Lieutenant General Sami Al Aridhi, another top CTS commander, said that Daesh has increased the number of suicide attacks it is carrying out.
"The enemy has been using suicide bombers, especially women, for the past three days in some of the neighbourhoods. Before that, they were using snipers and bombs more," Aridhi said. "There are still at least 200 fighters from the (Daesh) organisation" in Mosul, most of them foreigners, he said.
"The battle will end in five days to a week," Aridhi said.
CTS forces in the Old City ordered fleeing civilians to remove some articles of clothing before approaching on Monday in an effort to detect suicide bombers.
Men were told to remove their shirts, while women had to take off veils covering their faces and hair, and flowing abaya robes.
The measure followed two recent suicide bombings - one by a 14-year-old girl and anotnd another by a 12-year-old that killed three members of CTS, soldiers said.

source: Khaleejtimes