BAGHDAD (AP) – The pace of operations slowed on Tuesday as Iraqi forces began pushing toward larger villages and encountering civilian populations on the second day of a massive operation to retake the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State group.
Here is a look at the key developments on the second day of the Mosul offensive:
THE ARMY ADVANCES
The army reached the outskirts of al-Hamdaniyah, a historically Christian town also known as Bakhdida, and Qaraqosh, which was once home to tens of thousands. Iraq’s federal police pushed toward up to the town of al-Houd, still home to hundreds of people.
Kurdish forces known as peshmerga, who captured a handful of villages on the first day of the operation, largely paused to focus on consolidating their gains.