Mosul offensive progressing faster than planned: Iraqi PMOctober 20, 2016 - 15:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from so-called Islamic State militants is progressing faster than planned, the Iraqi prime minister says, according to BBC News. Haider al-Abadi said the move showed "rapprochement" and unity of purpose between Iraqi and Kurdish forces. His comments came as Kurdish fighters launched a large-scale operation east and north of Mosul. The Iraqi army has been moving from the south, and special forces have now joined the offensive. Mosul has been in the hands of IS since 2014 and is the militants' last major Iraqi stronghold. The offensive to retake it began on Monday. Up to 1.5 million civilians are thought to still be inside the city. Those inside report that they are running out of basic supplies. There are reports that some IS leaders have fled, but there are thought to be up to 5,000 IS fighters still in the city. The Iraqi prime minister made his comments via video-link to an international meeting in Paris on the future of Mosul. "The forces are pushing towards the town more quickly than we thought and more quickly than we had programmed in our campaign plan," he said. He hailed co-operation between the army and Kurdish troops, saying they were "fighting harmoniously together" to free Iraqi territory from IS. French President Francois Hollande, hosting the meeting, warned that IS fighters were fleeing to Raqqa, the militant group's stronghold in Syria, and said efforts must be made to stop them. The whereabouts of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi are unknown. Some reports say he is in Mosul, but others say he has fled the northern Iraqi city. Photo: AP Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia. Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of Armenia Henrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |