Tags: ML | Iraq | The Latest

The Latest: Iraq Forces Enter Mosul City Limits, Advance

The Latest: Iraq Forces Enter Mosul City Limits, Advance

Tuesday, 01 November 2016 05:41 AM EDT

BAZWAYA, Iraq (AP) — The Latest on developments in Iraq, where the offensive to take the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group is now in its third week (all times local):

11:50 a.m.

An Iraqi special forces general says his men have entered the outskirts of Mosul and were driving ahead despite fierce resistance from the Islamic State group fighters who hold the city.

Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi says troops have entered Gogjali, a neighborhood inside Mosul's city limits, and are only 800 meters (yards) from the more central Karama district.

He says IS fighters have set up concrete blast walls to block off the Karama neighborhood and block the troops advance, and that bombs have been placed along the road into the city.

8:30 a.m.

Airstrikes by U.S.-led coalition aircraft have begun targeting Islamic State group positions inside Mosul's eastern neighborhood of Gogjali, as fighting intensifies on the ground.

Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil of the special forces says that as troops and vehicles advanced toward the city early Tuesday, IS fired at them with guided anti-tank missiles to stop their progress.

If the forces enter the neighborhood, it will be the first time Iraqi troops set foot in Mosul in over two years, after they were driven out by a much smaller force of IS extremists in 2014.

From the edge of the nearby village of Bazwaya, smoke could be seen rising from buildings on the city's outskirts, where shells were landing.

For over two weeks, Iraqi forces and their Kurdish allies, Sunni tribesmen and Shiite militias have been converging on Mosul from all directions to drive IS from the city. The operation is expected to take weeks, if not months.

8:00 a.m.

Iraq's special forces have begun an assault on Mosul, part of operations to drive the Islamic State group from the country's second city.

Troops have opened up with artillery, tank and machine gun fire on IS positions on the edge of the Gogjali neighborhood, with the extremists responding occasionally with rocket-propelled grenades. From the nearby village of Bazwaya, smoke could be seen rising from buildings on the city's edge, where shells were landing.

Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil of the special forces says the operation began Tuesday morning.

For over two weeks, Iraqi forces and their Kurdish allies, Sunni tribesmen and Shiite militias have been converging on Mosul from all directions to drive IS from the city.

The operation is expected to take weeks, if not months.

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


MiddleEast
The Latest on developments in Iraq, where the offensive to take the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group is now in its third week (all times local):11:50 a.m.An Iraqi special forces general says his men have entered the outskirts of Mosul and were driving ahead...
ML,Iraq,The Latest
411
2016-41-01
Tuesday, 01 November 2016 05:41 AM
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