Iraqi forces said they launched new assaults in Mosul's Old City on Monday after more than two weeks of only small advances and a high civilian death toll appeared to prompt a change in tactics.

The remains of hundreds of mainly Shi'ite inmates killed by Islamic State militants when they overran a prison in northern Iraq more than two years ago have been unearthed by forces retaking the area from the group, a spokesman said.

U.S.-backed Iraqi army units on Wednesday took control of the last major road out of western Mosul that had been in Islamic State's hands, trapping the militants in a shrinking area within the city, a general and residents said.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir held talks in Baghdad with Iraq's leadership Saturday, the first such visit by a chief diplomat from the kingdom since 2003.

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces fought Islamic State fighters on Monday to clear the way to Mosul's airport, on the second day of a ground offensive on the jihadists' remaining stronghold in the western side of the city.

An ISIS affiliated insurgent was captured by security forces in Kirkuk. He revealed that there are Bahrainis among the 600 ISIS members deployed in Hawija (in the district of Kirkuk).

The rich Arab monarchies of the Gulf have been conspicuously absent from the chorus of international condemnation of the U.S. ban on travel from seven mainly Muslim countries, hoping for warmer ties with Donald Trump than with his predecessor.

The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Iraqi Ambassador in Bahrain over statements by Iraq's Vice President Nouri Al-Maliki, condemning the execution of 3 political detainees in Bahrain.

Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Bahraini regime's execution of three dissidents, considering this act a blatant breach of human rights.

Iraq’s Hezbollah Brigades and Huthis severely condemned the Bahraini regime's execution of three political prisoners who were executed by the Bahraini authorities.

Iraqi forces made new advances against Islamic State in eastern Mosul and fought the militants in areas near the Tigris river on Wednesday, military officials said, keeping up the momentum of a renewed offensive in the jihadists' last major Iraqi stronghold.

Iraqi forces pushed Islamic State fighters back further in Mosul on Tuesday in a renewed effort to seize the northern city and deal a decisive blow to the militant group, though progress was slow in some districts, the army said.

ISIS attacked an Iraqi police checkpoint near the southern city of Najaf Sunday, killing seven policemen as government forces in the north made more gains against the militants in Mosul, their last major stronghold in the country.

Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah confirmed during his visit to Baghdad Wednesday, his country’s support to Iraq’s anti-terrorism efforts.

Kuwait is set to begin importing up to 200 million cubic feet of gas daily from neighboring Iraq, oil ministers from the two Arab nations said after talks Wednesday.

Iraqi Shi'ite forces fighting Islamic State west of Mosul aim to clear a large strip of land on the border with Syria to prevent the militants melting into the remote desert region and using it as a base for counter attacks, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

The offensive against Islamic State in Mosul could take two more months, and even if the group is defeated there it will still pose a threat to Iraq and the West, the commander of the U.S.-led coalition fighting against it said.

Local newspaper al-Wasat said that “the security authorities inspected the passports of citizens’ passports upon their arrival to Bahrain’s international airport, coming back from Iraq, where they commemorated the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein in the past few days.

Western-backed Iraqi forces have begun shelling parts of west Mosul, residents said, in preparation for a new front against Islamic State seven weeks into a difficult campaign to drive the militants from the city.

US-led coalition spokesman said on Tuesday that the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS has become “very hard” in recent weeks, but the pace will quicken once Iraqi forces manage to push in from the north and south of the city, Reuters reported.