On Monday and Tuesday, multiple outlets reported that Daesh (ISIS) attacked the Iraqi town of Rutbah during the battle for Mosul. But not everyone agreed on how much they took control of the town.
Al Jazeera reported that Daesh was in full control of the town Tuesday. International Business Times, on the other hand, reported that Daesh only took control of half the town.
Adding to the disagreement, the popular Iraq news Twitter account, @IraqiSecurity, said the town didn’t fall to Daesh, and lashed out at Al Jazeera for the report.
Reports that Rutbah in western #Iraq has fallen to Da'ish are FALSE. Being propagated by Da'ish's official media arms A'maq and Al-Jazeera.
For comparison, Al Jazeera based its report in part its correspondents covering Mosul, while International Business Times cited a US military official’s interview with AP, and other reports. @IraqiSecurity also acknowledged some parts of the town did indeed fall to Daesh.
Some recent reports, such as by The New Arab, say that the Iraqi army is now in full control of the town again.
The Iraqi army and its allies are currently advancing on Daesh held Mosul, the militant group’s biggest city.
