Iraq: U.S.-backed Kurdish forces advance toward Mosul
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 15 August 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iraq: U.S.-backed Kurdish forces advance toward Mosul, 15 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57db99f813.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 15, 2016
Iraqi Kurdish forces say they have retaken five villages east of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul in an operation launched early on August 14.
In a statement, the Kurdish region's Security Council said U.S.-backed Kurdish forces aim to "clear several more villages" in a bid to increase pressure on the extremist group.
The council's statement said an area of about 50 square kilometers had been cleared. It said the U.S.-led coalition is supporting the operation with airstrikes, one of which destroyed a car bomb.
Peshmerga Brigadier General Dedewan Khurshid Tofiq on August 14 described the operation as "ongoing."
Footage filmed by Rudaw, a local Kurdish-language television network, showed smoke rising from a village, with armored vehicles in the foreground.
Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, was seized by Islamic State in a bloody offensive in mid-2014.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has vowed to recapture the city by the end of this year.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
