The Iraqi Army and coalition forces launched an offensive this week to retake Mosul from the Islamic State. The third day of the campaign to drive the IS out of Mosul was an expansion that included pushes on multiple fronts by American-trained Iraqi counterterrorism forces — which reached the town of Bartella less than 10 miles east of the city — and by the pesh merga. And for the first time, an American soldier numbered among the dead. American air support began softening up the resistance. A United States Special Operations AC-130 gunship was circling overhead, and pounding blasts could be heard in the distance. The Islamic State is using guerrilla warfare tactics, including booby traps and tunnels, to defend the city from an imminent assault by Iraqi forces.
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Cartoon credits by Patrick Chappatte – Editorial cartoonist for The International New York Times.