▶ The offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State is going faster than planned, Iraq's prime minister said on Thursday, as Iraqi and Kurdish forces launched a new military operation to clear villages around the city. BARTELLA, IRAQ—Iraq’s elite counterterrorism units advanced to within 10 kilometres of Mosul on Thursday as Kurdish forces also opened a new front to the north, closing the noose on Daesh militants in their last major stronghold in Iraq. For Daesh, losing Mosul could break the back of its self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq, and resistance is expected to be fierce. Tens of thousands of soldiers are participating in the operation, including Canadian special forces troops deployed with peshmerga troops in northern Iraq. Iraq’s black-clad counterterrorism troops are among the most celebrated and effective units in the military.

Source: thestar October 20, 2016 20:39 UTC