The following is a timeline of Phase Three of the Battle of Mosul (2016–17) between February and July 2017.
February: Attack on west Mosul 18 February On 18 February, leaflets were distributed to western Mosul residents announcing and assuring that the offensive against the ISIL-held region of the city would continue soon. Iraqi fighter jets also targeted ISIL's headquarters and communication positions in the western area.
19 February On 19 February, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, announced the start of the operation to capture western Mosul. Iraqi forces attacked to retake the Mosul Airport, capturing around 15 villages and a power plant near west Mosul during the day.
20 February On 20 February, Iraqi forces captured the strategic village of Albu Saif to the south of Mosul and reached the vicinity of the city's airport. PMU meanwhile recaptured Sahaji, the last ISIL-held village on the road between Tal Afar and Mosul, effectively cutting off the road between the two cities. It also captured the village of Lazaga during the day. Iraqi Kurdistan's Counter-terrorism Group (CTG) meanwhile stated that Peshmerga forces had killed several ISIL leaders and at least 30 militants in an operation carried out with the co-operation of the anti-ISIL coalition. The leaders killed in the operation included Abu Bakr el Sheshani, who is a Russian national and ISIL's military official in Nineveh Governorate, Abu Fatma el Tounsi who is the group's financial official in the governorate, Dr. Salah Hassan el Sakalawi (also known as Dr. Abdullah) who is considered ISIL's health minister, as well as Dr. Abu Hassan el Homosi who is the group's Emir for health in Wilayat el Sham. Iraqi forces also attacked Ghazlani camp, the biggest military facility in Mosul. Federal Police also was reported to have captured about 8 villages western outskirts of Mosul.
21 February On 21 February, Iraqi forces continued clearing the hills around Albu Saif, successfully clearing two villages near it. Raed Shakir Jawdat, Federal Police chief later stated that ISIL had pulled out of Mosul airport after clashes. At least 90 ISIS militants were announced to have been killed in drone strikes during the day, ISIL's chief security observant "Abu Abdullah" and Mekhled al-Geheishi, a senior ISIL executioner at Badush prison, were among them.
22 February Contrary to previous days reports, the airport was reported to be still under ISIL control, with Iraqi forces readying an assault to retake it. Meanwhile, PMU launched an assault to capture Tal Afar and captured two villages around it, killing 47 militants and destroying 13 booby-trapped vehicles in the process. Ammar Mustafa Yusuf (also known as Abu Ibrahim), ISIL's wali of Tal Afar, was killed along with his son in an airstrike by Iraqi Air Force on a village near Tal Afar. Jawdat announced that Iraqi forces had recaptured al-Bouseif hills during the day.
23 February On 23 February, Iraqi forces backed by drones and heavy artillery attacked the Mosul airport, advancing from several directions towards it. They captured the airport later on along with 2 other villages near it. In addition, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul also announced that Iraqi forces had captured an ISIL weapons storage warehouse, a former ISIL headquarters and the barracks at al-Ghazlani military facility. Jawdat also announced that Iraqi forces also captured a nearby sugar plant along with its residential areas. Meanwhile, airstrikes in western and southern Mosul reportedly killed 35 ISIL members including a regional mayor. ISIL also issued a death warrant against a senior leader named "Abu Osama" who had fled during the battle for Mosul airport. PMU meanwhile announced that Ali Abdel Kadim al-Saeedi, commander of its 10th Brigade, was killed in clashes with ISIL in Tel Afar. One of ISIL's emirs, Abu Dujana al-Tunsi, was also reported to have been killed during clashes in Tal Afar. An ISIL counter-attack to break Mosul's siege was repelled by PMU during the day. An ISIL rocket attack late in the day on soldiers stationed at Mosul airport resulted in dozens of deaths.
24 February
On 24 February, Iraqi forces captured al-Ghazlani military base and entered a district in western Mosul for the first time. Jawdat announced that they had captured a sports facility in al-Tayyaran district. Sami al-Aridhi, a lieutenant-general of Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), also announced that Iraqi forces captured the Tall al-Rayyan village, outside Mosul, and entered al-Mamoun district.
25 February Iraqi forces continued advancing inside western Mosul on 25 February. Brigadier General Hisham Abdul Kadhim announced that Federal Police and Rapid Response Division had captured Hawi al-Josaq and had begun clearing the Tayyaran district. Al-Saadi meanwhile stated that CTS pushed towards Wadi Hajr and al-Mamoun districts from two fronts and had entered both of them. Saadi later also stated that their advance had slowed and they were facing heavy resistance, especially in al-Mamoun, since its streets are organized randomly, making it difficult to set up roadblocks for countering VBIEDs. Shifa Gardi, a Kurdish reporter working for Rudaw, was killed by a roadside bomb while covering the advance of Iraqi forces. During the same day, PMU announced it had captured eight villages to west of Mosul. The Ministry of Defense's War Media Cell also announced that the 9th Armored Battalion of the Iraqi Army had fully captured al-Yarmouk power station, which supplies power to the whole city. ISIL destroyed a bridge to the Badush village to hinder the Iraqi advance while a coalition airstike on an ISIL convoy in the village killed 16 militants.
26 February Iraqi forces advanced further on 26 February in order to gain control of the southernmost bridge linking Mosul's eastern and western sides. Clashes were also ongoing in Hawi al-Josaq and al-Tayyaran districts. Iraqi forces later captured al-Tayyaran and al-Maamoun districts. They also entered al-Mansour, al-Shuhadaa and Dawas districts. They also announced they had captured al-Harakiyat, an area south of the city used as a major oil-smuggling route by ISIL.
27 February Iraqi forces advanced in Hawi al-Jowsaq, and announced they had captured the Fourth Bridge on 27 February. They later regained control of Jowsaq district. The operation command meanwhile announced that they had captured Tal Rumman village in western Mosul. They also entered and clashed with ISIL in Wadi Hajr district. Iraqi troops killed 120 militants and ISIL's designated "emir" of Dawasah district during advances towards central Mosul.
28 February Iraqi forces advanced towards Mosul's main governmental buildings on 28 February. The CTS continued advancing in Wadi al-Hajr to link up with the Rapid Response Division and Federal Police stationed by the riverside. Jawdat announced during the day that 929 militants had been killed since the start of the assault on west Mosul. al-Jubouri stated that the 15th Division of the Iraqi Army was preparing to storm Tal Afar. Colonel Ahmed al-Jubouri of the Iraqi Army's Nineveh Operations Command later stated that Iraqi forces had captured the Wadi Hajr district. The Iraqi Defense Ministry's War Media Cell meanwhile announced that Iraqi forces had captured the Damerji village to south of Badush.
March: Battle for southwestern Mosul
1 March
On 1 March, an Iraqi general announced that the Iraqi Army had taken control of the last major road to western Mosul, with the 9th Armoured division coming within a kilometer of Mosul's northwestern entrance known as the "Syria Gate". This move effectively cut off western Mosul from Tel Afar. The CTS continued advancing and clashed with ISIL in the Wadi Hajr, al-Mansour, and al-Shuhada districts. The Joint Operations Command meanwhile announced that CTS continued advancing in Jawsaq and Tayaran, while capturing 70% of Wadi Hajr, completely cleared the residential buildings of al-Mamoun district, and advanced in the adjacent Mansour district. Major Adnan Mostafa later stated that Iraqi forces had captured Syria Gate, along with al-Rihani village, besieging Badush. They later captured the underground "Tadmour Base", which had been used by ISIL to train recruits, according to Iraqi commanders.
2 March On 2 March, ISIL launched a counterattack on Iraqi forces during an overnight rainstorm during the night of 1–2 March, though the fighting subsided by morning. Some residents of the city alleged that an airstrike on the Omar al-Aswad mosque in al-Farouq districts killed a number of civilians and suspected ISIL fighters. A Coalition spokesman, however, stated that he was unaware of such a strike. A captain in Rapid Response Division meanwhile stated that advancing Iraqi forces were forced to retreat from Dawasah to Jawsaq, after falling into an ISIL trap of a fake withdrawal and taking many casualties. Abu Huthaifaq al-Halabi, a cameraman who recorded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's declaration of a "caliphate" in 2014, as well as ISIL's dewan of mosques in Nineveh Governorate, was reported to have been killed during the day, along with his son and an aide. On the same day, it was reported that 14,000 civilians fled western Mosul during the day.
3 March Iraqi forces announced they had captured Wadi Hajr district on 3 March, an advance that allows them to link up all their forces in south of the city. The Red Cross meanwhile stated that a chemical weapon was apparently used in mortar fire on houses in east Mosul, the first such attack during the battle. 12 people were injured in the attack. On the same day, 14,000 people fled western Mosul, bringing the number of displaced civilians from western Mosul up to 46,000 people.
4–5 March Jawdat stated that the Federal Police had repelled an ISIL attack on the outskirts of the Dawsah district, killing 10 suicide bombers and destroying 5 VBIEDs. The Defense Ministry' War Media Cell stated that an airstrike by the anti-ISIL coalition on an ISIL headquarters in al-Najjar district killed Abu Abdel Rahman al-Ansari, Jund al-Khilafa's official as well as 6 emirs including Abu Khalid, Sabah al-Anzi, Abu Azzam, Abu Hejab, Abu Sayah and Abu Taiba. Iraqi forces resumed their offensive on 5 March, after pausing it for two days because of bad weather. The Rapid Response Division was reported to have captured the Danadan district, coming close to a complex housing governmental buildings in western Mosul. Meanwhile, the CTS pushed through Somood and Tal al-Ruman districts. They also clashed with ISIL in Shuhada and Mansour districts. An ISIL leader alleged to be al-Baghdadi's cousin was reported to have been arrested in the Jowsaq district.
6 March
Iraqi forces captured the al-Hurriya Bridge (also called "Freedom Bridge") on 6 March. Iraqi military also announced that CTS had captured Somood district. The operation command meanwhile announced that the Rapid Response Division and Federal Police had captured the Nineveh police headquarters, the courts complex and the water, electricity and sewage directorates. The CTS assaulted al-Mansour district after capturing Somood. A Federal Police officer stated that an airstrike by the coalition on the city's train station had by mistake killed 33 former troops held there as captives by ISIL. Airstrikes at various districts were also reported to have killed 22 civilians and wounded 34. PMU meanwhile captured a strategic mountainous region near Al-Ayathia village.
7 March