In dawn assault, Iraqi Special Forces near Mosul from east

Iraqi forces reached a position within firing range of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-held city of Mosul on Monday, a military source told CBS News.

Iraqi Special Forces were advancing on Mosul early Monday. Moving in from the east under heavy fire, they were inching closer to the city’s limits.

The elite unit paused its advance last week. It had made ground quicker than other units, and wanted to allow forces on other fronts to make further progress.

Car bombers were trying to stop the advance, but the troops, just 2 miles from Mosul’s eastern outskirts, aimed to enter it later in the day, Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil said.

The dawn assault saw armored vehicles, including Abrams tanks, move on the village of Bazwaya as allied artillery and airstrikes hit ISIS positions, drawing mortar and small arms fire.

For two weeks, Iraqi forces and their Kurdish allies, Sunni tribesmen and Shiite militias have been converging on Mosul from all directions to drive ISIS from Iraq’s second largest city. The operation is expected to take weeks, if not months.

Read more- CBS News

Image courtesy of Reuters