Iraq launches assault on IS-held west Mosul
The Mosul onslaught marks a new phase in Iraq’s largest military operation to flush out jihadists in years
Oreij, Iraq — Iraqi forces launched an offensive on Sunday on jihadists defending Mosul’s west bank, in what could be the most brutal fighting yet in a four-month-old operation on the country’s second city. They swiftly retook at least five villages and set their sights on Mosul airport, which lies just south of the city, marking a new phase in Iraq’s largest military operation in years. The Islamic State (IS) group has put up stiff resistance to defend Mosul, the city where its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in 2014. "Our forces are beginning the liberation of the citizens from the terror of Daesh," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a short televised speech, using an Arabic acronym for IS. "We announce the start of a new phase in the operation. We are coming, Nineveh, to liberate the western side of Mosul," he said, referring to the province of which Mosul is the capital. A top army commander then announced that forces led by federal police units re...
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