Iraq Forces Shell ISIS Near Mosul; Group Urges Airstrike Probe
BARTELLA, Iraq— Iraqi forces shelled Islamic State positions outside Mosul on Monday as fighting to retake the extremist-held city entered its second week and a rights group urged a probe into a suspected airstrike that hit a mosque, killing over a d...
Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces prepare to attack Islamic State positions as fighting to retake the extremist-held city of Mosul entered its second week, in the village of Tob Zawa, outside Mosul, Monday, Oct. 24, 2016. A convoy of special forces advanced toward the village of Tob Zawa, Monday, encountering roadside bombs and trading heavy fire with the militants. Loudspeakers on the Humvees blared Iraqi patriotic music as they pushed toward the village. AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed
BARTELLA, Iraq—Iraqi forces shelled ISIS positions outside Mosul on Monday as fighting to retake the extremist-held city entered its second week and a rights group urged a probe into a suspected airstrike that hit a mosque, killing over a dozen civilians.
The purported airstrike in northern Iraq struck the women’s section of a Shiite mosque on Friday in the town of Daquq amid a large ISIS assault on the nearby city of Kirkuk. That assault was meant to distract the Iraqi forces and their allies from the massive operation around Mosul, the country’s second largest city.
Human Rights Watch said Daquq’s residents believe the attack was an airstrike because of the extent of the destruction and because planes could be heard flying overhead. The New York-based watchdog said at least 13 people were reported killed.
Iraqi special forces prepare to attack ISIS positions as fighting to retake the extremist-held city of Mosul enters its second week, in the village of Tob Zawa, outside Mosul, Oct. 24, 2016. AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed
