IS attacks Kirkuk as Iraq pushes on Mosul

Islamic State (IS) launched a major counterattack on the city of Kirkuk on Friday as Iraqi and Kurdish forces pursued operations to seize territory around Mosul in preparation for an offensive on the jihadists’ last major stronghold in Iraq.

The IS assault on Kirkuk, which lies in an oil-producing region, killed 18 members of the security forces and workers at a power station outside the city, including two Iranians, a hospital source said.

Crude oil production facilities were not targeted and the power supply continued uninterrupted in the city. Kirkuk is located east of Hawija, a pocket still under control of IS that lies between Baghdad and Mosul.

With air and ground support from the US-led coalition, Iraqi government forces captured eight villages south and southeast of Mosul.

Kurdish forces attacking from the north and east also captured several villages, according to statements from their respective military commands overnight.

The offensive that started on Monday to capture Mosul is expected to become the biggest battle fought in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The UN says Mosul could require the biggest humanitarian relief operation in the world, with worst-case scenario forecasts of up to 1 million people being uprooted.

About 1.5 million residents are believed to still be inside Mosul.

Around 5,600 have fled their homes in the vicinity of the city so far, the International Organization for Migration said late on Thursday.