Assault on west Mosul

IRAQ: Iraqi forces have launched a ground offensive to dislodge Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) from its remaining stronghold in western Mosul and put an end to the jihadists’ ambitions in the country.

Announcing the start of the campaign, Haider al-Abadi, the prime minister, asked Iraqi forces to ‘‘respect human rights’’ during the battle, after a series of videos emerged showing abuse by uniformed men.

US-backed Iraqi forces, including elite units and the federal police, snaked north through the outlying areas of west Mosul, with coalition air support. The assault was preceded by an air drop of millions of leaflets, warning residents that battle was imminent and urging jihadists to surrender.

Officials described a well planned campaign delivering early results, with units capturing the villages of Athbah and alLazzagah, both near Mosul airport, early in the day. Federal police units led the charge on districts west of the Tigris river, working through several largely abandoned villages and reaching Zakrutiya, a hamlet three miles south of the airport, by the end of the day. They claimed to have captured a power distribution station along the way and killed several jihadists, including snipers.

The campaign is expected to move north towards the crowded city centre, where fighters are thought to have entrenched themselves among booby-traps, improvised explosive devices and human shields.

Medical and humanitarian agencies estimate the total number of dead and wounded - civilian and military - since the start of the Mosul offensive in October at several thousand. About 160,000 civilians have been displaced so far - and that figure could reach up to 400,000 as residents of west Mosul are cut off from food and fuel, said Lise Grande, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Iraq. - Telegraph Group