Iraqi forces on Mosul hilltop gird for fierce fight ahead
Iraqi troops worked to secure a strategic hilltop overlooking Mosul’s international airport and a nearby military base on Tuesday, fearing the Islamic State group, which still holds both facilities, may launch another wave of nighttime counterattacks. The U.S.-backed Iraqi forces advancing on western Mosul from the south have not seen the waves of car bombs […]Susannah George and Qassim Abdul-Zahra write for AP:
Iraqi troops worked to secure a strategic hilltop overlooking Mosul’s international airport and a nearby military base on Tuesday, fearing the Islamic State group, which still holds both facilities, may launch another wave of nighttime counterattacks.
The U.S.-backed Iraqi forces advancing on western Mosul from the south have not seen the waves of car bombs that troops confronted when they moved into eastern Mosul late last year. But the latest battle, launched on Sunday, is still in its early stages.
As the militarized Federal Police stationed in the hilltop village of Abu Saif scanned a nearby cluster of houses for militants, they spotted around a dozen civilians waving white flags. The soldiers called out for them to approach.
