Iraq forces launch new push on IS in west Mosul

Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) – Iraqi forces thrust into west Mosul from the north on Thursday, opening a new front in the more than six-month-old offensive to dislodge the Islamic State group from the country’s second city.
The assault is aimed at sealing the siege of the Old City, where die-hard jihadists holding huge numbers of civilians hostage are preparing for a bloody last stand.
Forces from the army, the interior ministry and the police “began breaching the western side from the