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Iraqi Forces Enter Mosul

by VOA News

   An elite group of Iraqi Special Forces has begun its assault on Mosul,
   pushing through heavy resistance as the troops breach the Islamic State
   held city's outskirts.

   Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi said troops had entered the Gojali neighborhood
   of Mosul Tuesday morning, where they encountered fierce fighting with
   Islamic State militants.

   He said IS fighters had erected concrete barriers throughout the city
   to try and stop the advance of Iraqi soldiers.

   The advance by Iraqi soldiers was preceded by heavy airstrikes on IS
   positions inside the Gojali neighborhood. The jihadists returned fire
   with guided anti-tank missiles and rocket propelled grenades.

   Breakthrough
   The breakthrough comes two weeks after a coalition of Iraqi and Kurdish
   forces, backed Shi'ite militia and U.S. airstrikes, launched the
   largest military operation in the country since 2003 to clear the city
   of IS fighters.

   On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned any remaining IS
   fighters in Mosul that his army is ready to close in on them "from
   every place."

   "They don't have an exit, they don't have an escape, they can only
   surrender," he said during an address on state television. "They can
   die or they can surrender."

   Obstacles ahead
   Analysts say the fighting ahead is likely to be more difficult in the
   coming weeks, in part because of the city's captive civilian
   population, and partly because civilians who have escaped say IS
   fighters have extensively rigged buildings and roadways in the city
   with explosives.

   According to the United Nations, up to a million people could become
   displaced as the fighting intensifies in the city. More than 17,900
   people have already fled the city since the beginning of the operation.