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Iraqi forces struggle to tell friend from foe in Mosul street battle

A vehicle shielded with metal plates and driven by a suicide attacker turned onto a main road filled with soldiers in eastern Mosul and burst into a ball of fire, causing several casualties. As it careered down the road it was riddled with gunfire as Iraqi forces responded to the latest Islamic State counterattack against […]

Stephen Kalin reports for Reuters:

A vehicle shielded with metal plates and driven by a suicide attacker turned onto a main road filled with soldiers in eastern Mosul and burst into a ball of fire, causing several casualties.

As it careered down the road it was riddled with gunfire as Iraqi forces responded to the latest Islamic State counterattack against their push to reclaim the northern city.

This and what followed on Thursday were indicative of the challenges Iraq's U.S.-backed military faces in fighting enemies who are willing to kill themselves to defend their last major stronghold in the country while surrounded by well over a million civilians.