WARDAK, Iraq : Kurdish Peshmerga forces backed by US led coalition airstrikes launched a fresh attack on ISIS terrorist in northern Iraq in the early hours today, as part of a plan to close in on their De facto capital Mosul, a Kurdish official said.
The offensive began after heavy shelling and several airstrikes, a Reuters correspondent reported from Wardak, 30 km (19 miles) south-east of Mosul, where some of the Peshmerga forces are deployed. Clouds of black smoke could be seen at a distance, possibly tires or other items set on fire by the terrorists to obstruct the planes' visibility.
The Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdish self-rule region are gradually taking up positions around Mosul, 400 km (248 miles) north of Baghdad, from whose Grand Mosque in 2014 ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate spanning regions of Iraq and Syria.
Mosul is the largest urban center under the terrorists control, with a pre-war population of nearly 2 million.
Its fall would mark their effective defeat in Iraq, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who has said he aims to retake the city this year.
The operation that started today is part of the "shaping operations" to prepare for an offensive on the city itself, said a Kurdish official who declined to be identified.
The Iraqi army is trying to advance from the south. In July it captured the Qayyara airfield, 60 km (35 miles) south of Mosul, which will serve as the main staging post for the expected offensive on the city.
The offensive began after heavy shelling and several airstrikes, a Reuters correspondent reported from Wardak, 30 km (19 miles) south-east of Mosul, where some of the Peshmerga forces are deployed. Clouds of black smoke could be seen at a distance, possibly tires or other items set on fire by the terrorists to obstruct the planes' visibility.
The Iraqi army and the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdish self-rule region are gradually taking up positions around Mosul, 400 km (248 miles) north of Baghdad, from whose Grand Mosque in 2014 ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate spanning regions of Iraq and Syria.
Its fall would mark their effective defeat in Iraq, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who has said he aims to retake the city this year.
Advertisement
The Iraqi army is trying to advance from the south. In July it captured the Qayyara airfield, 60 km (35 miles) south of Mosul, which will serve as the main staging post for the expected offensive on the city.
© Thomson Reuters 2016
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
5 Iraqi Soldiers Killed In 'Terrorist' Attack ISIS Shares Video Of Gunmen Carrying Out Deadly Moscow Concert Attack ISIS Says 4 Fighters Carried Out Moscow Attack That Killed 133 People What Trump Rally Shooter Did On Last Day Of His Life Under-Fire Trainee IAS Officer Accuses Pune Collector Of Harassment "No Defamatory Remarks Against Governor": High Court To Mamata Banerjee Four In Five Americans Fear Country Is Sliding Into Chaos: Polls Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Launched In India; Prices Start At Rs. 2.39 Lakh Admission Deadline Extended For EWS And Special Needs Children Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.