MOSUL, Iraq — Iraqi special forces cleared buildings Saturday in eastern Mosul after pushing out Islamic State militants in their drive to take back the city.

Fighting continued in the morning, with both sides firing mortars and automatic weapons on each other’s positions, while the Iraqi troops also responded with artillery.

Sniper duels played out from rooftops in the mostly residential areas, where the majority of buildings are two stories high.

The special forces launched a two-pronged assault deeper into Mosul’s urban center on Friday, unleashing the most intense street battles against IS militants since the offensive to retake the city began nearly three weeks ago.

More than 3,000 Iraqi troops took part in the assault under heavy U.S.-led coalition air support.