U.S.-BACKED FORCES ADVANCE ON MOSUL

HAMAM AL-ALIL, IRAQ U.S.backed Iraqi forces launched a large-scale military operation on Sunday to dislodge ISIL militants from the western half of Mosul, the latest phase in a four-month-old offensive to retake Iraq’s second largest city.

The battle for western Mosul promises to be the most daunting yet, as the half of the city west of the Tigris River has older, narrower streets and is still home to hundreds of thousands of civilians, who have been told to shelter in place.

Iraq declared eastern Mosul “fully liberated” last month, but ISIL has continued to launch attacks there. Hours after the latest operation was announced, suicide bombers struck troops and pro-government Sunni militiamen in eastern Mosul.