Iraqis roar towards Mosul
Residents wait in their homes as armed forces backed by US-led coalition push to free city from Islamic State
Qayyarah — Iraqi forces were making gains as tens of thousands of fighters advanced on Mosul on Tuesday in an unprecedented offensive to retake the city from the Islamic State (IS) group. With the crucial battle in its second day, Iraqi commanders said fighters pushed on two main fronts against the jihadists’ last stronghold in Iraq. The US military, which is leading a coalition providing air and ground support, said Iraqi forces even looked "ahead of schedule" but senior western officials warned the battle would be long and difficult. Advancing in armoured convoys across the dusty plains surrounding Mosul, forces moved into villages defended by pockets of IS fighters after intensive aerial bombardment. Massive columns of smoke rose from burning oil wells near the main staging base for government forces in Qayyarah, blotting out the horizon. A soldier at a checkpoint nearby said IS set the wells on fire to provide cover from air strikes before the town of Qayyarah was retaken in lat...
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