Iraq: Kurdish forces close in on IS-controlled Mosul

Kurdish Peshmerga forces, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, closed in on Mosul, as part of their offensive against the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), on Sunday.
The attack, part of the campaign to regain the city that has become a major stronghold for IS, begun with heavy shelling and air strikes.
The Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army are gradually positioning around Mosul, the fall of which would be extremely significant in the battle against IS, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Mosul has had around 1.2 million people living under the IS' rule and it is predicted that up to one million of those people might have to leave their homes in the coming months as fighting intensifies, according to an estimate from the International Committee of the Red Cross.