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| Iraqi special forces join battle to retake Mosul from Isis | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Iraqi special forces have entered the battle to retake Mosul, with a pre-dawn advance on a nearby town held by Islamic State, a key part of a multi-pronged assault on eastern approaches to the besieged city. | |
| The addition of the elite troops, also known as counter-terrorism forces, on Thursday marked a significant intensification of the fight for Iraq’s second-largest city. It comes a day after a US general said Isis leaders had begun to flee Mosul, leaving foreign fighters to face the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces. | |
| Maj Gen Maan al-Saadi said the elite forces had advanced on the town of Bartella with the aid of US-led coalition airstrikes and heavy artillery on the fourth day of a massive operation to retake Iraq’s second-largest city. “God willing, we will take this town today,” he said. | |
| The special forces are expected to lead the way into Mosul, where they will face fierce resistance in an urban landscape where Isis militants are preparing for a climactic battle. The offensive is the largest operation launched by Iraqi forces since the 2003 US-led invasion, and is expected to take weeks, if not months. | The special forces are expected to lead the way into Mosul, where they will face fierce resistance in an urban landscape where Isis militants are preparing for a climactic battle. The offensive is the largest operation launched by Iraqi forces since the 2003 US-led invasion, and is expected to take weeks, if not months. |
| The Kurdish forces, or peshmerga, who are also taking part in the offensive, announced a “large-scale operation” to the north and north-east of Mosul on Thursday. | |
| “The operation will be in three fronts,” the peshmerga said in a statement, and follows recent gains by the peshmerga to the east of Mosul and Iraqi security forces to the south. | “The operation will be in three fronts,” the peshmerga said in a statement, and follows recent gains by the peshmerga to the east of Mosul and Iraqi security forces to the south. |
| Peshmerga forces stationed on mountains north-east of Mosul descended from their positions and moved towards the frontline. They used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to fill trenches and moved armoured vehicles into the breach after about an hour of mortar and gunfire at Isis positions below in the village of Barima. | |
| Military operations also appeared to be under way in the town of Bashiqa, north-east of Mosul. Thick smoke could be seen billowing from the town early on Thursday. A day earlier, Bashiqa was pounded by airstrikes and mortar fire from Kurdish peshmerga positions high above. | |
| The approaches to Mosul run through clusters of mostly abandoned villages where Isis militants have planted roadside bombs and other booby traps. Bartella, a traditionally Christian town which fell to Isis two years ago, is believed to be empty of civilians. | |
| Isis captured Mosul during a lightning advance across northern Iraq in 2014, and the terrorist group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque. Mosul is the largest city controlled by the extremist group and its last major urban bastion in Iraq. | Isis captured Mosul during a lightning advance across northern Iraq in 2014, and the terrorist group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque. Mosul is the largest city controlled by the extremist group and its last major urban bastion in Iraq. |
| On Wednesday, Maj Gen Gary Volesky, the commander of the 101st Airborne Division in charge of land forces involved in counter-Isis operations, said there were signs that Isis leaders in the city were starting to flee. | On Wednesday, Maj Gen Gary Volesky, the commander of the 101st Airborne Division in charge of land forces involved in counter-Isis operations, said there were signs that Isis leaders in the city were starting to flee. |
| “We have seen movement out of Mosul,” he said, speaking to the Pentagon from Iraq. “We’ve got indications that leaders have left. A lot of foreign fighters we expect will stay as they’re not able to exfiltrate as easily as some of the local fighters or local leadership, so we expect there will be a fight.” | “We have seen movement out of Mosul,” he said, speaking to the Pentagon from Iraq. “We’ve got indications that leaders have left. A lot of foreign fighters we expect will stay as they’re not able to exfiltrate as easily as some of the local fighters or local leadership, so we expect there will be a fight.” |
| Iraq’s US-trained special forces are seen as far more capable than the mainstream security forces that crumbled as Isis advanced in 2014. They have played a central role in liberating several cities and towns over the past year, including Ramadi and Falluja, in the western Anbar province. | |
| More than 25,000 forces, including the Iraqi army, the peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shia militias are taking part in the Mosul offensive, which began on Monday after months of preparation. They will be advancing on the city from several directions. | More than 25,000 forces, including the Iraqi army, the peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shia militias are taking part in the Mosul offensive, which began on Monday after months of preparation. They will be advancing on the city from several directions. |
| Associated Press contributed to this report | Associated Press contributed to this report |