Updated October 22, 2016 20:40:54
The Iraqi army has launched an operation to take Qaraqosh, a Christian town near Mosul, the last major city stronghold of Islamic State in Iraq, the military says.
Key points:
- Iraqi forces are fighting to reclaim Qaraqosh, a Christian town 20km south-east of Mosul
- Army also trying to advance on Mosul from the south
- Security forces regain control of Kirkuk
Qaraqosh, about 20 kilometres south-east of Mosul, was emptied of its population in 2014, when Islamic State swept through the region.
Iraqi special units earlier this week captured Bartella, a Christian village north of Qaraqosh.
The offensive that started on Monday to capture Mosul is backed by the US-led coalition.
It is expected to become the biggest battle fought in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003. Islamic State also controls parts of Syria.
The army is also trying to advance on Mosul from the south, while Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are holding fronts in the east and north.
A Reuters photographer on the southern front on Friday saw plumes of smoke rising from a sulphur factory that was under the control of Islamic State, filling the air with toxic gasses.
It was not clear if the militants set it on fire to cover their retreat, or if it was damaged during the fighting.
Iraqi forces regain control of Kirkuk
Security forces overcame a big assault by Islamic State militants in Kirkuk and regained full control of the northern Iraqi oil city on Saturday, Iraqi state TV said.
The city's authorities partially lifted a curfew declared after the militants stormed police stations and other buildings on Friday (local time) before dawn, the TV channel added, citing its own correspondent in Kirkuk.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had on Friday night ordered an army brigade to head to Kirkuk to assist the Peshmerga clear the remaining buildings still held by the militants.
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters took control of Kirkuk in 2014, after the Iraqi army withdrew from the region, fleeing an Islamic State advance through northern and western Iraq.
A total of 35 people have been killed since Friday in clashes, including four Iranian technicians who were carrying maintenance work in a power station north of the city, according to a hospital source.
The toll does not include the jihadists who were killed or who blew themselves up during the fighting.
Kurdish leaders say they will never give up the ethnically mixed city, to which they, as well as Turkmen and Arabs, lay claim.
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Photo: Peshmerga forces prepare their anti-tank guided missiles in front of Islamic State militants' positions at the town of Naweran near Mosul, Iraq October 20, 2016. (Reuters: Zohra Bensemra) -
Photo: Smoke rises from clashes in the east of Mosul during clashes with Islamic State militants, Iraq, October 17, 2016. (Reuters: Azad Lashkari) -
Photo: Kurdish security forces take up a position as they fight overlooking the Islamic State-controlled in villages surrounding Mosul, in Khazer, about 30 kilometres east of Mosul, Iraq on October 17, 2016. (AP) -
Photo: Iraqi army soldiers raise their weapons in celebration on the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. (AP) -
Photo: Displaced people who have fled ISIS territory gather in the village of Tinah, south west of Mosul. (Supplied: Thomas Robinson/Oxfam) -
Photo: Smoke rising over rows of tents at the Tinah camp, from oil fields burning in the distance. (Supplied: Thomas Robinson/Oxfam) -
Photo: Two young children living at Golat camp in Debaga north of Mosul pose for a photo, while men construct more tents in the background. (Supplied: Amy Christian/Oxfam) -
Photo: Mokhtar (village head) Nisr Amr, 35, sits with his son in the ruins of his father's house in the village of Imam Gharbi, some 70km south of Mosul. October 13, 2016. (Oxfam: Sam Tarling ) -
Photo: Omar stands inside by the ruins of his brother's house in the village of Imam Gharbi, some 70km south of Mosul, Iraq, on October 13, 2016.
The house was destroyed by Islamic State, when they took control of the village in 2014. (Oxfam: Sam Tarling ) -
Photo: Children run beside military vehicles passing by in the village of Imam Gharbi, some 70km south of Mosul, Iraq. October 13, 2016. (Oxfam: Sam Tarling ) -
Photo: Smoke from burning oil fields in Al Qarrayah fills the sky near the village of Imam Gharbi, some 70km south of Mosul, Iraq, on October 13, 2016. (Oxfam: Sam Tarling) -
Photo: Children watch military vehicles pass by in the village of Imam Gharbi, some 70km south of Mosul, Iraq, on October 13, 2016. (Oxfam: Sam Tarling )
Reuters
First posted October 22, 2016 18:51:59
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