Iraqi forces face strong ISIL resistance in Mosul

Jihadist fighters unleashed a deluge of bombs and gunfire on Nov. 4 on Iraqi forces, which said it had taken six neighborhoods while punching into the streets of Mosul for the first time, forcing some units into a partial pullback.

Some armored vehicles from the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) returned from the streets of Karama a few hours after moving in and encountering fierce resistance from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an AFP correspondent reported.

"We weren't expecting such resistance. They had blocked all the roads," said one officer, as top brass considered whether or not to attempt a fresh foray into the northern Iraqi city.

"There are large numbers of jihadists... It was preferable to pull back and devise a new plan," the CTS officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Some CTS forces remained inside the city, however, and there were at least five regiments involved in the operation launched Nov. 4, making it hard to gauge the extent of the pullback.

After daybreak, bulldozers and tanks backed by air strikes had pushed into the streets of Mosul from the east for the first time since Iraqi forces launched a broad offensive to retake the city on Oct. 17.

The CTS's "Mosul regiment," which was the last to leave the city when the jihadists overran it in June 2014, immediately faced "tough resistance," Commander Muntadhar Salem told AFP.

Air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition had intensified over the past two days, despite the smoke from burning tires set on fire by ISIL in a bid to provide cover.

Earlier in the day, a military statement said Iraqi special forces recaptured six districts of eastern Mosul on Nov. 4. 

CTS special forces took over the...