Anti-IS assaults gain ground in Iraq, Syria

Iraqi forces advanced in west Mosul and fighters in Syria seized a key supply route to Raqa yesterday as twin US-backed offensives gained ground against the Islamic State group.

Supported by the US-led anti-IS coalition, Iraqi government forces and a Kurdish-Arab alliance in Syria are battling to push the jihadists from Mosul and Raqa, the last two major urban centres under their control.

Intense fighting in recent days has forced tens of thousands of people from their homes, raising fears for many more civilians still trapped in areas of IS's so-called "caliphate".

In Iraq, security forces advanced yesterday towards a compound of jihadist-held government buildings and a bridgehead, on the second day of a renewed push in west Mosul.

The operation to retake west Mosul began on February 19, but had slowed amid several days of bad weather until a fresh drive began on Sunday.

AFP reporters in west Mosul have witnessed intense clashes, with heavy automatic weapons fire and clouds of black smoke billowing over the city.

In Syria, US-backed forces yesterday cut off a key supply route between IS stronghold Raqa and the group's territory in Deir Ezzor province.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, seized control of the only major road linking Raqa along the Euphrates valley to Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.