Around 6,000 Isis fighters could be holed up in the city among more than a million civilians. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Iraqi forces advance towards Shura on the first day of the battle for Mosul. It was also reported that Isis fighters were forcing people from the countryside into the city to use as human shields. A southern push by Iraqi army troops and Shia militias lagged behind the faster-moving eastern axis. Advancing troops are expected to face a brutal street fight in heavily mined terrain, with booby-trapped bridges and Isis fighters concealed in tunnels.

Source: The Guardian November 04, 2016 14:26 UTC