Iraq special forces pile pressure on Isis with pre-dawn attack on stronghold

IRAQI SPECIAL forces have charged into the Mosul battle with a pre-dawn advance on a nearby town held by Islamic State, a key part of a multi-pronged assault on eastern approaches to the besieged city.

The addition of the elite troops, also known as counter-terrorism forces, marked a significant intensification of the fight for Iraq’s second-largest city.

As they advanced, attack helicopters fired on the militants and heavy gunfire echoed across the plains.

IS militants unleashed nine suicide car and truck bombs against the advancing troops, eight of which were destroyed before reaching their targets, while the ninth struck an armoured Humvee, Lt Col Muntadhar al-Shimmari said.

He did not give a casualty figure, but another officer said five soldiers were wounded.

The special forces entered the town of Bartella, a traditionally Christian village that fell to IS in 2014, at around midday.

The fighting thus far has been concentrated in a cluster of towns and villages outside Mosul that are mostly uninhabited and littered with roadside bombs planted by the militants, which has slowed the Iraqi advance.

The special forces are expected to lead the way into Mosul, where they will face fierce resistance in an urban landscape where IS militants are preparing for a climactic battle.

The offensive is the largest operation launched by Iraqi forces since the 2003 US-led invasion, and is expected to take weeks, if not months.

The Kurdish forces known as peshmerga, who are also taking part in the offensive, announced a “large-scale operation” to the north and north east of Mosul.

Iraqi prime minister Haider Abadi, speaking by video link to diplomats meeting in Paris, said the Mosul offensive was moving “more quickly than we thought”.

He also vowed to protect civilians fleeing the fighting and said the government “will not allow any violations of human rights”.