LOC09:21
06:21 GMT
WASHINGTON, Oct 28 (KUNA) -- Iraqi and Kurdish forces have shown "unprecedented cooperation" in the fight to liberate Mosul from the grip of the so-called Islamic State (IS), the Pentagon said Thursday.
Ten days into the operation, the US-led coalition's backing of the Iraqi army and Kurdish soldiers has them closing in on the city, Spokesperson Jeff Davis told reporters.
The forces are halfway to the outskirts of Mosul - 8 kilometers - and there have been "steady gains," he added. Overall, the population under IS control has dropped from seven million to four million in Iraq and Syria combined, Davis revealed. And following 500 coalition air strikes against oil facilities, IS revenue from oil has dropped by 60 percent, he said. Near Mosul, the towns of Bartella, Batnay, and Khorsabad have all been cleared, he confirmed.
"They are identifying [homemade bombs] and are also exploiting material left for intelligence," he said of Kurdish forces there, who are now encircling Tall Kayf.
To the south of Mosul, Qara Qush and Al Kuwayr have been secured, Rutba has been liberated from IS, and Kurdish forces are halfway to Al Khidir, Davis noted.
"The offensive against Mosul is a large and extraordinarily complex operation... IS continues to control the swath of territory to the west and down to southwest, but it is mostly open terrain," he explained. (end)
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