Offensive launched to drive IS from western Mosul

civilians who may flee because of the fighting, the statement said. The U.N. estimates 750,000 civilians may be left in western Mosul.

Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, a top U.S. commander in Iraq, said the Iraqi forces are an “increasingly capable, formidable and professional force.”

“Mosul would be a tough fight for any army in the world, and the Iraqi forces have risen to the challenge,” he said in a statement.

BRAM JANSSEN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A member of the federal police smokes a cigarette during a break in fighting Sunday against Islamic State militants in Hamam al-Alil, Iraq. The militarized Iraqi police fired artillery as Iraqi forces moved into villages around Mosul, the last urban IS...