MOSUL: Iraq's special forces are continuing to push back Islamic State militants in the eastern sector of Mosul.
Friday's fighting in the Quds neighbourhood came a day after Iraqi forces broke a two-week lull in fighting to stage a multi-pronged offensive in eastern Mosul east of the Tigris River.
The latest push, aided by airstrikes and artillery from a U.S.-led coalition, is taking place under clear and sunny skies.
Iraqi government forces launched a large-scale offensive in mid-October to retake Mosul, the last major urban centre held by the extremist group in Iraq. The offensive, however, had stalled about two months later because of the presence inside Mosul of some one million civilians, stiff IS resistance and the lack of urban warfare experience among some Iraqi units.