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Gains Reported As Offensive Against ISIS In Mosul Begins

Published October 17, 2016 at 12:06 PM EDT
Pro-government forces drive in military vehicles in Iraq's eastern Salaheddin province, south of Hawijah, on Oct. 10, 2016, as they clear the area in preparation for the push to retake the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the last Islamic State (IS) group-held city in Iraq. (Mahmoud Al-Samarrai/AFP/Getty Images)
Pro-government forces drive in military vehicles in Iraq's eastern Salaheddin province, south of Hawijah, on Oct. 10, 2016, as they clear the area in preparation for the push to retake the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the last Islamic State (IS) group-held city in Iraq. (Mahmoud Al-Samarrai/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi and Kurdish forces, aided by U.S. airstrikes, launched the long-awaited mission to retake Mosul from ISIS today.

Officials say Kurdish forces seized several villages on the outskirts of the city in the early hours of the offensive. ISIS seized Mosul in 2014, and it is the last remaining stronghold for the group in Iraq.

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson checks in with BuzzFeed’s Mike Giglio, who has been on the front lines.

Guest

Mike Giglio, Middle East correspondent for BuzzFeed News, based in Istanbul. He tweets  @mike_giglio.

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