PHOTO: An Iraqi soldier stands next to detainees accused of being ISIS fighters in Qayyara, south of Mosul (Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)
Held up by the Islamic State, Iraqi forces are trying again to advance south of Mosul in the 12th day of the Iraqi-Kurdish offensive to recapture Iraq’s second city.
The Iraqi army and federal police are facing sniper fire and suicide car bombs as they try to reach Hammam al-Alil, amid claims that ISIS is executing detainees in the town.
Reports say most of the executed prisoners are former members of the Iraqi police and army, taken from villages that the Islamic State has given up in a pullback towards Mosul.
Abdul Rahman al-Waggaa, a member of the Nineveh Provincial Council, claimed that the executions are meant “to terrorize the others, those who are in Mosul in particular”.
Iraqi special forces have moved within 4 km (2.5 miles) east of Mosul and are waiting for troops to advance on other fronts.
To the north, Kurdish peshmerga are about 12 km (7.5 miles) away, surrounding the town of Bashiqa, important for supply lines.
However, in the south, Iraqi forces are still fighting near their base in Qayyara, about 30 km (19 miles) from Mosul.
