PHOTO: Iraq security forces watch for Islamic State attacks in Kirkuk
On the sixth day of the offensive to take Iraq’s second city Mosul, Iraqi forces have moved from the southeast, trying to capture the mainly-Christian town of Qaraqosh.
Meanwhile, the Islamic State, which has held Mosul since June 2014, is still threatening bomb and gun attacks inside the city of Kirkuk to the east.
The Iraqi forces are continuing attempts to secure lines and routes about 20 km (13 miles) from Mosul’s outskirts. They captured Bartella, a village to the north of Qaraqosh, before trying to move into the town on Saturday.
See also Iraq Analysis: A Beginner’s Guide to the Battle for Mosul
Since Monday, Kurdish peshmerga have taken a series of villages to the north and west of Mosul. However, they have faced stiff ISIS resistance — including suicide bombs and mines — since quick advances in the first 24 hours of the offensive.
Authorities in Kirkuk extended a curfew for a second day after Islamic State cells attacked a power plant and stormed police stations and other buildings.
Kurdish peshmerga said they killed three fighters inside Kirkuk, besieging a school to kill or capture the rest. A police chief also said 11 ISIS troops were killed close to the nearby town of Laylan early Saturday.
A police chief in Kirkuk said about 70 Islamic State fighters infiltrated the city on Friday.
At least 35 people have been killed in the fighting, including 10 power plant workers, according to a medical source.
On Friday night Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an army brigade to go to Kirkuk to assist Kurdish peshmerga in clearing the remaining buildings held by the Islamic State fighters.
Kirkuk is important both because of its position between Iraqi Kurdistan and the rest of the country, and because of its proximity to oilfields and pipelines.