Peshmerga vs. the Islamic State: The Road to Mosul

Описание: Iraqi Kurdish forces have exchanged heavy fire with ISIL fighters as they move from two directions into the centre of Bashiqa, a town along a key supply route for the armed group on the way to Mosul.

The offensive to reclaim the town 13km east of Mosul city is the latest push in a broader offensive to drive the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant out of Iraq's second-largest city, the group's last major stronghold in the country.
Combat began at dawn on Monday with a Kurdish barrage of heavy artillery, Katyusha rockets, and mortar rounds striking ISIL positions, providing cover for the advance of armoured columns.

"Peshmerga fighters tell us they've retaken most of Bashiqa now," about 2.5km away.

He said troops had secured the municipal building in the centre of Bashiqa .

However, by late Monday, the battle still raged on.

"We're still hearing heavy fighting going on: street battles, gunfire, there's been air strikes happening as well. So it seems, at this hour, the fight is still intensifying," our correspondent said.

Bashiqa is believed to be largely deserted except for dozens of ISIL fighters.

"We have the coordinates of their bases and tunnels, and we are targeting them from here in order to weaken them so that our forces can reach their targets more easily," Peshmerga commander Brigadier-General Iskander Khalil Gardi told the Associated Press news agency.

READ MORE: The battle for Mosul - Inside ISIL's bomb-making factory

Concerns about civilians do not play a role in operations in Bashiqa, Gardi said.

"Regarding the challenges, in any area that has no civilians, there won't be any problem. And currently, according to our intelligence, there are no civilians left in Bashiqa," he said.

Iraqi government and Kurdish forces, backed by a US-led coalition and joined by various militias, are fighting to drive ISIL, also known as ISIS, out of Mosul's surrounding areas and open additional fronts to attack the main city, which has been held by the group since 2014.

Bashiqa has been surrounded by Kurdish forces for weeks, but Monday's push appears to be the most serious yet to drive ISIL out.

Copyright 2016 ©
All rights reserved