Iraqi forces in Mosul fight Islamic State counter-attack

By Stephen Kalin | MOSUL, Iraq

Islamic State fighters launched a counter-attack against advancing U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in western Mosul during an overnight storm, as the battle for control of the militants’ last major urban stronghold in Iraq intensified.

Explosions and gun fire rang out across the city’s southwestern districts in the early hours of Thursday. The fighting eased in the late morning, although a Reuters correspondent saw an air strike and rebel mortar fire.

A senior Iraqi officer said Islamic State staged its attack on units from the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) when the storm

source http://www.omnipopmag.com/2017/03/02/iraqi-forces-in-mosul-fight-islamic-state-counter-attack/