Iraqi PM announces liberation of Eastern Mosul from ISIS

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that eastern Mosul has been "fully liberated" from the Islamic State, 100 days after the start of the operation to liberate the city from the terror group.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Al-Abadi commended the "unmatched heroism of all security forces factions" as well as the public support for the operation.

The announcement came a day after the defense ministry retracted an earlier claim that it had liberated the eastern part of Mosul from ISIS, Al Jazeera reported.

On Monday, the army stated on its website that it had completely liberated the left bank of the city. However, in a later statement on the same day, the defense ministry said that the ninth and 16th army brigades were still fighting against the terror group in the Al-Rashidiya district.

When the Prime Minister was asked how long it would take to liberate the western part of the city, he replied: "I can't tell now, but we are capable of doing so and we will do so."

Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, was captured by ISIS in the summer of 2014 when the terror group took over large swaths of northern and western Iraq.

Lise Grande, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, voiced out her concerns for the civilians in the western part of Mosul in a statement signed by 20 international and local aid groups.

She pointed out that the cost of food and basic goods was soaring, the electricity and water supply were intermittent, and some residents were burning furniture in order to keep warm.

"We hope that everything is done to protect the hundreds of thousands of people who are across the river in the west. We know that they are at extreme risk and we fear for their lives," she said in a statement, as reported by The Associated Press.

In Geneva, a spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office has stated that it had received "reasonable corroboration" for a report that 19 civilians died in an airstrike in the al-Jadida neighborhood of western Mosul last week.

"Attributing responsibility for airstrikes is very difficult," Ravina Shamdasani said, adding that "it is clear that civilians are being killed in airstrikes."

The U.N. human rights office also said that ISIS militants have taken over "many hospitals" in western Mosul and are using them as military bases. It also noted that the group is diverting food and water to its fighters.