Islamic State counterattacks west Mosul areas captured by Iraq

June 26 (UPI) -- Iraqi military officials said security forces repelled counterattacks launched by the Islamic State in previously captured areas of west Mosul.

Iraqi officials said the Islamic State deployed suicide bombers in numerous parts of the city on Sunday. The militants launched attacks in the districts of Rajim Hadid, Yarmuk and Tanak, where Iraq's counter-terrorism forces repelled an attack.

Several civilians and security forces died in the attacks and dozens of families evacuated the districts, Rudaw reported. Iraqi military officials later said "the situations are under control."

Iraq launched its military offensive to retake western Mosul from the Islamic State on Feb. 19. The offensive to retake Mosul began Oct. 17, led by Iraqi security forces and aided by the Kurdish Peshmerga, a Shiite-led militia, and the U.S.-led international coalition. Iraq captured east Mosul in late January.

The focus of the offensive is to capture Mosul's Old City, the last area under the Islamic State's control in Mosul. The counterattacks occurred after about 20 Islamic State militants escaped from the Old City and attacked other areas, BBC News reported.

The Islamic State last week destroyed Mosul's al-Hadba minaret and the 845-year-old Great Mosque of al-Nuri, or Noor mosque, where leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is believed to have declared the Islamic State caliphate.