DAESH GIVEN LIFE OR DEATH ULTIMATUM

Fleeing civilians


The Iraq general leading the assault on the Daesh 'capital' in Iraq has given the Death Squad a life or death ultimatum.  As the attempted fightback by the militants has failed, the eight-month battle to take control of Mosul is nearing its end.

Lt. Gen. Abdul Ghani al-Assadi, head of the elite counter terrorism service in Mosul, said about 350 militants are defending 1.2 square miles of the old city.

Hear the general, 'Daesh is finished.  It lost its fighting spirit and its balance.  We are making calls to them to surrender or die.'

Iraqi troops lead the fight in the densely populated maze of narrow alleyways of the old city, which lies by the western bank of the Tigris.  A US-led coalition provides air and ground cover.

The militants are dug in among 60,000 desperate civilians.  They use booby traps and suicide bombers to slow down the Iraqi troops.  All these have failed to slow down the advance of the Iraqi forces.