Iraq forces retake key town south of Mosul

IRAQI forces backed by coalition airstrikes yesterday pushed Islamic State from Qayyarah, a northern town considered strategic for any future offensive against the jihadists’ last stronghold of Mosul. “We control all parts of the town and managed, in very limited time, to root out Daesh [IS],” said Lieutenant General Riyadh Jalal Tawfik, who commands Iraq’s ground forces. The operation to retake Qayyarah was launched on Tuesday and led by Iraq’s elite counter-terrorism service. Iraqi forces had already recaptured a nearby air field and Qayyarah is expected to be become one of the main launchpads for an assault on Mosul in the coming weeks or months.