As noose tightens around Mosul, U.S. forces begin advising Iraqi units closer to front lines
An Iraqi army soldier spots from inside a Humvee two unidentified men standing on a pickup truck with a mounted heavy machine gun by the side of the road in an abandoned area in the countryside of Makhmour, Iraq, on April 19, 2016. (Alice Martins/For The Washington Post)
By Missy Ryan July 27 at 8:30 AM
American military advisers have begun working with Iraqi army battalions in forward positions, U.S. officials said, as the campaign against the Islamic State enters a new, more risky phase.
The first mission began on July 20, when combat engineers from the 101st Airborne Division were tasked with helping an Iraqi engineer battalion establish security around a temporary bridge constructed over the Tigris River.
The bridge, southeast of the town of Qayyarah, is expected to be a key infrastructure point in the upcoming offensive for Mosul, a crucial test for Iraqi forces and their Western backers.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/as-noose-tightens-around-mosul-us-forces-begin-advising-iraqi-units-closer-to-front-lines/2016/07/26/138fa0bc-5275-11e6-88eb-7dda4e2f2aec_story.html
