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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Iraqi PM upbeat on Mosul offensive | Iraqi PM upbeat on Mosul offensive |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from so-called Islamic State militants is progressing faster than planned, the Iraqi prime minister says. | |
| Haider al-Abadi said the move showed "rapprochement" and unity of purpose between Iraqi and Kurdish forces. | |
| His comments came as Kurdish fighters launched a large-scale operation east and north of Mosul. | His comments came as Kurdish fighters launched a large-scale operation east and north of Mosul. |
| The Iraqi army has been moving from the south, and special forces have now joined the offensive. | The Iraqi army has been moving from the south, and special forces have now joined the offensive. |
| Mosul has been in the hands of IS since 2014 and is the militants' last major Iraqi stronghold. | Mosul has been in the hands of IS since 2014 and is the militants' last major Iraqi stronghold. |
| The offensive to retake it began on Monday. Up to 1.5 million civilians are thought to still be inside the city. | The offensive to retake it began on Monday. Up to 1.5 million civilians are thought to still be inside the city. |
| Those inside report that they are running out of basic supplies. | |
| There are reports that some IS leaders have fled, but there are thought to be up to 5,000 IS fighters still in the city. | |
| The Iraqi prime minister made his comments via video-link to an international meeting in Paris on Mosul. | |
| "The forces are pushing towards the town more quickly than we thought and more quickly than we had programmed in our campaign plan," he said. | |
| He hailed co-operation between the army and Kurdish troops, saying they were "fighting harmoniously together" to free Iraqi territory from IS. | |
| French President Francois Hollande, hosting the meeting, warned that IS fighters were fleeing to Raqqa, the militant group's stronghold in Syria, and said efforts must be made to stop them. | |
| The whereabouts of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi are unknown. Some reports say he is in Mosul, but others say he has fled the northern Iraqi city. | |
| 'Victories made in blood' - By Orla Guerin, BBC News, outside Mosul | |
| Under cover of darkness we joined a long convoy of vehicles setting out from a Kurdish base on Bashiq Mountain, about 15km (nine miles) from Mosul. | |
| We snaked towards areas under IS control, along a route that had been checked for roadside bombs. There were hundreds of pick-up trucks with troops and some with vehicle-mounted machine guns. Along the way we saw some American special forces. | |
| The aim is to clear the town of Bashiqa and 20 surrounding villages, most of which are deserted apart from IS. The offensive includes some veteran Kurdish fighters, who previously fought against Saddam Hussein. | |
| Before leaving the base senior commander Shex Jaffar Shex Mustafa told us they were ill equipped for the battle, and did not even have enough body armour. "All of our victories are made by our blood," he said. | |
| The general in charge urged his men to go slowly, to avoid casualties. "We hope to survive this battle," one fighter told me, "but we are facing an enemy that hopes to die." | |
| On Thursday, Kurdish fighters began moving on three fronts east and north of Mosul. | |
| "The objectives are to clear a number of nearby villages and secure control of strategic areas to further restrict Isil's [IS] movements," a statement said. | |
| Iraqi special forces also began a pre-dawn advance on the town of Bartalla, Iraqi Maj-Gen Maan al-Saadi was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. | |
| They were being supported by air strikes carried out by a US-led coalition. | |
| Officials have warned that the push to take Mosul could take weeks or month, with IS fighters appearing to be putting up stiff resistance in places. | |
| There are also warnings the group could use human shields or chemical weapons. |