Iraq advances with push into town near Mosul
KHAZER: Iraqi forces pushed into a town to the southeast of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul on Saturday after a wave of militant attacks in and around the northern city of Kirkuk set off more than 24 hours of heavy clashes, with ongoing skirmishes in some areas.
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter meanwhile arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit to meet with Iraqi commanders to discuss the offensive to retake Mosul, which the US is supporting with airstrikes and advisers on the ground.
The Iraqi army said the 9th Division has pushed into the town of Hamdaniyah, also known as Qaraqosh and Bakhdida, and raised the flag over its central government compound, but the troops were likely still facing resistance in and around the town. Similar past announcements have often proved premature.
Two officers from the 9th Division confirmed troops had captured the government compound and raised the flag over it. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
The town is around 20 kilometers from Mosul. Iraqi forces launched a wide-scale offensive earlier this week aimed at retaking Mosul, the country’s second largest city, which fell to IS in 2014.
Hamdaniyah is believed to be largely uninhabited. IS has heavily mined the approaches to Mosul, and Iraqi forces have had to contend with roadside bombs, snipers and suicide truck bombs as they move closer to the city.
Iraqi forces retook the town of Bartella, around 15 kilometers east of Mosul, earlier this week, but are still facing pockets of resistance in the area.
IS meanwhile launched a massive attack in and around Kirkuk, some 170 kilometers southeast of Mosul before dawn Friday in an apparent attempt to divert Iraqi security forces from the push on Mosul. Fighting raged throughout the day, with heavy gunfire echoing across the city and smoke rising over the skyline.
Brig. Gen. Khattab Omer of the Kirkuk police said on Saturday morning that all the attackers were killed or blew themselves up. The area around the provincial headquarters, where the fighting was heaviest, was quiet Saturday morning.
Witnesses said there were ongoing clashes in the Asra wa Mafkudin neighborhood, where at least two IS fighters were killed Saturday.
Colonel Redah Sheikh Latif, of the Kurdish peshmerga forces in Kirkuk, confirmed there were ongoing skirmishes between IS snipers and security forces in the neighbourhood but said the situation was contained.