Iraqi government forces launched a major offensive to recapture the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group on October 17, 2016. – October 17: Iraqi forces launch an offensive to drive IS out of Mosul, where the jihadists declared an Islamic “caliphate” in June 2014. IS overran Mosul and swathes of other territory north … Read more
Surrounded by the ruins of pastel-coloured buildings still bearing slogans glorifying the Islamic State’s “caliphate”, Wissam Ghanem is having a slow day selling beer, vodka and whisky. Iraqi forces expelled the jihadists from his town of Bashiqa, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Mosul, in December but it was badly damaged and few people … Read more
Six stories you may have missed because of US election Iraqi Kurdish forces seized the town of Bashiqa near Mosul from ISIL, an official said While the US presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton dominated international headlines on Tuesday, Russia announced that it was preparing to renew its air strikes on Syria’s Aleppo … Read more
Footage captures explosions near the Iraqi town of Bashiqa, where Kurdish forces have launched fresh Kurdish forces have carried out new attacks on positions of so-called Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq to retake the town of Bashiqa, near Mosul. Kurdish Peshmerga commanders said they made large advances into IS territory and secured part of … Read more
Many have fled the area round Mosul as government and Kurdish forces close in. Forces of so-called Islamic State have launched an attack in Iraq on a town in western Anbar province in an apparent attempt to divert attention from the government’s offensive on Mosul. The mayor of Rutba described the Islamic State (IS) assault … Read more