ກອງກຳລັງອິຣັກ ຍຶດດິນແດນໄດ້ ຫຼາຍກວ່າ 800 ກິໂລແມັດມົນທົນ ຈາກກຸ່ມລັດອິສລາມ ນັບຕັ້ງແຕ່ການຕໍ່ສູ້ເພື່ອຍຶດເອົາເມືອງ Mosul ທີ່ເລີ້ມຂຶ້ນໃນສັບປະດາແລ້ວນີ້ອີີງ ຕາມການເປີດເຜີຍຂອງເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ສະຫະລັດ ໃນວັນຈັນວານນີ້.
ໂຄສົກຂອງທຳນຽບຫ້າແຈ ຮ້ອຍເອກທະຫານເຮືອ Jeff Davis ກ່າວວ່າ “ມັນແມ່ນການຍຶດເອົາທີ່ສຳຄັນ” ຊຶ່ງຮວມທັງເມືອງ Bertella ທີ່ຕັ້ງຢູ່ປະມານ 30 ຫຼັກກິໂລແມັດ ທາງພາກຕາເວັນອອກ ຂອງໃຈກາງເມືອງ Mosul ຊຶ່ງປະຈຸບັນນີ້ແມ່ນທຳການກວດ ລ້າງຢູ່.
“ນີ້ແມ່ນຈຸດໃນແຜ່ນທີ່ທີ່ທ່ານສາມາດເວົ້າໄດ້ວ່າມັນໃກ້ກັບເມືອງ Mosul,” ຊຶ່ງທ່ານ Davis ໄດ້ບອກກັບພວກນັກຂ່າວ ໃນວັນຈັນວານນີ້ ທີ່ທຳນຽບຫ້າແຈ.
ກອງກຳລັງອີຣັກແລະພວກນັກລົບ Peshmerga ຂອງຊາວເຄີຍ ໄດ້ທຳການປະຕິບັດງານຢ່າງຕໍ່ເນື່ອງ ຜ່ານເມືອງນ້ອຍໃຫຍ່ ໄປທາງເໜືອ ຕາເວັນອອກ ແລະທາງໃຕ້ຂອງເມືອງ Mosul ໃນຂະນະທີ່ພວກເຂົາເຈົ້າເຄື່ອນກຳລັງຫຍັບໃກ້ເຂົ້າເມືອງດັ່ງກ່າວ.
ທ່ານ Brett McGurk ທູດພິເສດ ຂອງກຳລັງແນວໂຮມທີ່ນຳພາໂດຍສະຫະລັດ ທີ່ໄດ້ທຳການໂຈມຕີທາງອາກາດ ທີ່ແນເປົ້າໝາຍໃສ່ກຸ່ມລັດອິສລາມ ໃນຮອບ 2 ປີ ໄດ້ຂຽນລົງໃນ Twitter ໃນວັນຈັນວານນີ້ ຫຼັງສັບປະດາທຳອິດ ໃນການໂຈມຕີ ທີ່ໄດ້ບັນລຸເປົ້າໝາຍທີ່ໄດ້ວາງໄວ້ ຈົນເທົ່າເຖິງປະຈຸບັນນີ້.
ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ສະຫະລັດ ລະໝັດລະວັງ ໃນການຄືບໜ້າທີ່ວ່ານີ້ ໃຫ້ຄ່ອຍໆຊ້າໆລົງ ແລະດຳເນີນໄປດ້ວຍຄວາມຕັ້ງໃຈ ແຕ່ເຖິງຢ່າງນັ້ນກໍຕາມ ຄາດຫວັງວ່າການໂຈມຕີຈະຮຸນແຮງຂຶ້ນ ເວລາກອງກຳລັງອິຣັກ ແລະຊາວເຄີດ ຫຍັບໃກ້ເຖິງຕົວເມືອງ.
ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າ ຈະເຂົ້າຍຶດເອົາ ອ້ອມເມືອງ Mosul ກຸ່ມລັດອິສລາມ ໄດ້ນຳພາການໂຈມຕີຫຼາຍໆບັ້ນ ທົ່ວປະເທດ ໃນຮອບຫຼາຍມື້ທີ່ຜ່ານມາ. ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ສະຫະລັດ ແມ່ນຮ້ອງ ການໂຈມຕີເຫລົ່ານີ້ວ່າ “ເບນເຂັມທິດ” ໄປຈາກເມືອງ Mosul.
Iraqis Gain 800 Sq Km in Mosul Fight as Islamic State Launches More Diversions'
Iraqi forces have regained more than 800 square kilometers of territory from Islamic State since the fight to retake Mosul began last week, U.S.officials said Monday.
Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis says the "significant gains" include Bartella, about 30 kilometers east of Mosul's city center, which is now in the process of being cleared.
"This is probably the point on the map you could say is closest geographically [to Mosul]," Davis told reporters Monday at the Pentagon.
Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have been moving through small towns to the north, east and south of Mosul as they work their way closer to the city itself.
Brett McGurk, special envoy for the U.S.-led coalition that has been conducting airstrikes against Islamic State targets for two years, postedMondayon Twitter that after the first week "all objectives" of the campaign had been met thus far.
U.S. officials caution that progress will be slow and deliberate, however, with fighting expected to intensify the closer Iraqis and Kurds get to the city.
Islamic State diversions'
Despite the gains around Mosul, Islamic State has carried out several attacks across the country over the last few days. U.S. officials are calling these attacks "diversions" meant to take the focus away from Mosul.
"This is to be expected. We know that as they feel the pressure on Mosul they will try to divert attention as best they can by hitting elsewhere," said Davis.
Islamic State carried out an attack Monday in the northern town of Sinjar, where local media say Kurdish forces have since repelled the assault. Other IS attacks over the last few days targeted Rutba in the country's west and Kirkuk in northern Iraq.
The terror group also poured oil into a sulfur-dioxide pit south of Mosul and set it on fire, releasing toxic gas in the area. The Pentagon said the gas is not considered lethal in the concentrations U.S. forces are seeing. Iraqi forces now have control of the sulfur-pit area and are trying to put out the fire, officials said.
Iraqi officials in Baghdad also said a series of small bombings in the capital killed nearly a dozen civilians on Monday. No one claimed responsibility, but the Islamic State group often has targeted areas in the Iraqi capital.
Airstrike investigation
Human Rights Watch called for an investigation into an airstrike last week during the IS attack on Kirkuk believed to be aimed at distracting Iraqi troops from the battle around Mosul.
HRW said the strike likely killed at least 13 people at a mosque near the city, but also noted the area was within shelling range of Kurdish and Islamic State positions.
U.S. military spokesman Col. John Dorrian said the coalition had "definitively determined" its forces were not responsible for the airstrike. The Iraqi government said it was investigating the situation.
Turkey-Iraq tensions
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter held talks over the last few days with Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani in Irbil, and in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Carter, who metFridaywith Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has sought to ease rising tensions between Ankara's Sunni leadership and Baghdad's Shi'ite government.
The two governments have been feuding over the presence of more than 1,000 Turkish fighters deployed near Bashiqa, Iraq, late last year. That Turkish force provided artillery cover for the peshmerga advanceon Sunday.
The December 2015 deployment was widely seen as an attempt by Turkey to ensure that its border with Iraq remains largely controlled by Sunnis and Iraqi Kurds, rather than by Iran-backed Shi'ite militia currently fighting alongside Iraqi forces to retake Mosul.
Baghdad repeatedly has demanded the withdrawal of all Turkish forces from the country, a demand that Turkey so far has ignored.
