The Iraqi forces are within eight kilometers of Mosul, commanders said, after days of fighting and sweeping territorial gains in the operation to free the key Iraqi city from ISIS control.

    A coalition of 100,000 troops have been closing in on Mosul since Monday, liberating surrounding communities village by village and making quicker-than-expected gains. The Iraqi police announced that 372 ISIS militants were killed and that 25 villages were liberated. 

    The forces said the area they cordoned off measures around 38 square miles, and that they also secured a "significant stretch" of highway. The statement said eight car bombs were destroyed in the operation, including three by US-led coalition aircraft, and "dozens" of militants were killed.

    The coalition vastly outnumbers its opponent. No more than 5,000 ISIS fighters are in Mosul, a US military official said.

Source: QNA