Iraqi Kurdish troops take more ground east of ISIS-held Mosul
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IRBIL- Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces say they have completed the operation to retake a string of villages east of the city of Mosul from ISIS, an advance that is part of laying the groundwork ahead of the key battle for Iraq's second-largest city.
Brig. Gen. Dedewan Khurshid Tofiq said on Tuesday that a bridge, taken the day before and leading to southeastern Mosul, could facilitate a troop buildup along an eastern Mosul front. Tofiq says the bridge needs to be repaired first.
Iraqi forces and the Kurdish troops are seeking to encircle Mosul, which has been under IS control for more than two years. It's the last major ISIS urban stronghold in Iraq.
