Iraqi forces launch push in south of Mosul

Iraqi forces launched an operation yesterday to retake the northern town of Shirqat from Islamic State, a stepping stone in their campaign to recapture the jihadists' stronghold of Mosul before the end of the year.

Shirqat, which lies on the Tigris River 100 km (60 miles) south of Mosul, has been surrounded by Iraqi troops and Iranian-backed Shia Muslim militias allied to the government.

Tens of thousands of civilians are thought to be trapped there. Officials have warned for months of a humanitarian disaster inside, where residents living under Islamic State's harsh rule say food supplies have dwindled and prices soared.

Iraqi troops, backed by local police and Sunni Muslim tribal fighters, took up positions along five axes yesterday and advanced through five villages but by midday were still around 13 km from the town centre, said the mayor and a source in the Salahuddin Operations Command, which oversees military operations in the area.

They said there was little resistance so far, aside from some bombs planted along the road. State media said the security forces had disabled several car bombs and snipers.

Television footage of an airstrike near a residential compound south of Shirqat showed plumes of light grey smoke emanating from a sparsely populated valley.

Iraqi forces are also moving to retake two areas in the western province of Anbar, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in an televised message from New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly.