Iraqi forces have moved closer to the southern outskirts of western Mosul, on the second day of a fresh offensive against the Islamic State.
The outlying village of Abu Saif, which overlooks Mosul, has been hit by air strikes and helicopter gunships as the military advanced.
The eastern part of Mosul was liberated from IS fighters last month after heavy fighting. Abu Saif, which overlooks Mosul's airport, is a key IS stronghold on the southern approach to western Mosul.
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville, who is embedded with government troops, said the bodies of some IS fighters lay by the roadside, apparently hit by mortar fire or other artillery Progress has been slowed down by improvised bombs planted by IS along the route of the offensive, he said. But the army seized several villages on Sunday when it launched its fresh offensive.
Other government forces have been moving towards the Ghazlani military base, which they plan to use as a staging post for the attack on western Mosul itself.
US Defence Secretary James Mattis arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit.He told reporters the US military was "not in Iraq to seize anybody's oil", seemingly to allay concerns after Donald Trump said last month that the US "should have kept the oil" when it pulled troops out of Iraq in 2011.
Thousands of Iraqi troops, backed by artillery and air power, are involved in the assault to retake Mosul.
Source:www.bbc.com
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