Iraq's federal police forces and army troops attacked the ISIS-held town of Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, on Saturday, as Iraqi-le...
Iraq's federal police forces and army troops attacked the ISIS-held town of Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, on Saturday, as Iraqi-led coalition forces seek to drive back ISIS militants from their last major Iraqi stronghold.
The Iraqi Air Force provided air cover for the assault Saturday morning, according to a statement from Iraq's Joint Military Command.
Iraqi troops are advancing from three fronts toward the Hammam-al-Alil, which is about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Mosul, and have reached the College of Agriculture at its edge, the statement said.
On Friday, the UN refugee agency said it had received reports ISIS has been instructing residents of Hammam al-Alil to hand over boys age nine and older since October 17, when the Iraqi-led offensive to recapture the country's second city began.
The boys are apparently being conscripted to fight on behalf of the terror group, Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UNHCR, told a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland.
The long-awaited assault on Hammam al-Alil, the last significant town before Mosul on the River Tigris, will add to the pressure on ISIS fighters.
