Iraqi forces up in arms to raze IS from Mosul, Islamic State retaliates with missiles

Fighting raged as Iraq's special forces began their assault on Mosul's eastern outskirts on Tuesday, part of operations to drive the Islamic State group from the country's second largest city.

Troops opened up with artillery, tank and machine gun fire on IS positions on the edge of the Gogjali neighborhood, with the extremists responding with guided anti-tank missiles and small arms to block the advance. Airstrikes by the US-led coalition supporting the operation added to the fire hitting the district. If Iraqi forces enter Gogjali neighborhood it will mark the first time troops have set foot in Mosul in over two years, after they were driven out by a much smaller group of IS extremists in 2014. Mosul is the final IS bastion in Iraq,the city from which it declared a "caliphate" stretching into Syria. Its loss would be a major defeat for the jihadis.

From the nearby village of Bazwaya, smoke could be seen rising from buildings on the city's edge, where shells and bombs were landing. The IS fighters quickly lit special firesto produce dark smoke in order to obscure the aerial view ofthe city. Inside the village, white flags still hung from somebuildings, put up a day earlier by residents eager to showthey wouldn't resist Iraqi forces' advance. Some residents stood outside their homes, and children raised their hands with V-for-victory signs.

The families, estimated to number in the hundreds, will be evacuated from the village to a displaced persons camp,according to Brig Gen Haider Fadhil of the Iraqi specialforces. For over two weeks, Iraqi forces and their Kurdish allies,Sunni tribesmen and Shiite militias have been converging on Mosul from all directions to drive IS from the city. Entering Gogjali could be the start of a grueling and slow operation for the troops, as they will be forced to engage indifficult, house-to-house fighting in Mosul's more urbanareas. The operation is expected to take weeks, if not months. Iraqi forces have made uneven progress in closing in onthe city.

Advances have been slower to the south, withgovernment troops still 35 kilometres away. To the north are Kurdish forces and Iraqi army units, and Shiite militias aresweeping toward the western approach in an attempt to cut offa final IS escape route.