Reports from northern Iraq say Iraqi government forces have entered the last settlement on the northern approach into the extremist-controlled city of Mosul.
Troops from the Iraqi Army reportedly were in the village of Tall Kayf, just 5 kilometers due north of Mosul, early on October 23.
The advance against Islamic State (IS) militants came after Iraqi troops on October 22 seized control of the strategic town of Hamdaniyah about 12 kilometers east of Mosul.
Hamdaniyah had been predominantly Christian before it was seized by IS militants in August 2014.
Its strategic importance is that it lies at the intersection of many desert roads to the southeast of Mosul.
Backed by international air strikes, Iraqi Army troops also control the town of Bartella, about 12 kilometers due east of Mosul.
Bartella controls access into Mosul from Iraq's Highway 2 -- which links Mosul with Irbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region.
Iraqi Army Takes Village On Northern Approach Into Mosul
![Iraqi civilians return to their village south of Mosul after it was liberated from Islamic State militants on October 21.](https://gdb.rferl.org/5b99ff40-e6f6-4c33-8dd5-81c9baa5d6b7_cx0_cy7_cw0_w250_r1_s.jpg)
Related
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
U.S., Canadian Warplanes Intercept Russian, Chinese Military Aircraft Near Alaska
2Crowdsourcing Russia's Future: Poll Of Experts Considers What Comes After Putin
3Russia Attacks Ukrainian Danube Port For Second Day As NATO Scrambles Warplanes Over Romania
4Turkey Detains Russian Man Suspected Of Car Bombing In Moscow
5Ukrainian Forces Fight Intense Battles In Donetsk Region, Zelenskiy Says
6Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
7Pentagon Finds Another $2 Billion Of Accounting Errors For Ukraine Aid
8'Don't Even Whisper In Your Language': Russian Course For Central Asians Lays Down Strict Rules
9Under Relentless Russian Attacks, Ukrainian Power Plant Workers Race To Get The Lights Back On
10Bulgarian President Admits Blocking Pro-Western Envoy To Kyiv
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.