Iraqi army says town near Mosul taken from IS

Iraq’s elite counterterrorism force soldiers raise an Iraqi flag in front of the main church in Bartella, Iraq, on Oct. 21. By Thursday, the Iraqi forces had advanced as far as Bartella, a historically Christian town some 15 kilometers from Mosul’s outskirts. AP

KIRKUK, Iraq—The latest on developments in Iraq where Iraqi forces and their allies launched a major offensive this week to retake Mosul, the country’s second-largest city from the Islamic State group (all times local):

11:14 a.m.

The Iraqi army says the 9th Division has pushed into a town southeast of the Islamic State-held city of Mosul and raised the Iraqi flag over a government compound in the town’s center.

The army claimed to have taken the town of Hamdaniyah, also known as Qaraqosh and Bakhdida, on Saturday, but was likely still facing pockets of resistance in and around the town. Similar past announcements have often proved premature.

Two officers from the 9th Division confirmed troops had captured the government compound and raised the flag over it. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Hamdaniyah is around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Mosul. Iraqi forces launched a wide-scale offensive earlier this week aimed at retaking Mosul, the country’s second largest city, which fell to IS in 2014.

9:31 a.m.

The Iraqi army’s 9th Division has launched a new push to retake a town near Mosul from the Islamic State group.

The Joint Military Operation Command said Saturday that troops were advancing on Hamdaniyah, also known as Bakhdida and Qaraqosh, to the southeast of Mosul. The operation is part of a massive offensive launched Monday aimed at liberating Iraq’s second largest city, which fell to IS in 2014.

Hamdaniyah is believed to be largely uninhabited. IS has heavily mined the approaches to Mosul, and Iraqi forces have had to contend with roadside bombs, snipers and suicide truck bombs as they have moved closer to the city.

Iraqi forces are now around 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Mosul. The operation to retake the city is expected to take weeks, if not months.

9:12 a.m.

Iraqi police say a massive Islamic State assault on targets in and around the northern city of Kirkuk has come to an end after a day and night of heavy clashes.

Brig. Gen. Khattab Omer said Saturday that all the attackers were killed or blew themselves up. The area around the provincial headquarters, where the fighting was heaviest, was quiet Saturday morning.

It was not clear how many militants took part in the assault, which appeared to be aimed at diverting attention from the IS-held city of Mosul, around 170 kilometers (100 miles) away, where Iraqi forces are waging a major offensive.

The militants killed 13 workers, including four Iranians, at a power plant north of Kirkuk, and a local television reporter was killed by a sniper in the city.