An estimated 2,000 Kurdish Peshemerga forces have entered the town of Bashiqa, Iraq today as part of the battle for the general area around Mosul. Bashiqa is northeast of Mosul about 15 km, and has been under ISIS control since summer of 2014.

The town was pounded by artillery in the lead up to the invasion, which saw Peshmerga forces in armored vehicles, accompanied by embedded US special forces, enter the town and engage in heavy fighting with ISIS forces within.

As with other pushes against ISIS forces, there were reports of suicide car bombings against the advancing forces, and Kurdish officials reported they were also trying to cope with intense sniper fire, suicide drone attacks, and artillery shells full of chlorine gas.

Kurdish commanders appear upbeat, claiming they have the coordinates of all the ISIS bases and tunnels in the town, saying they were targeting them with artillery strikes to soften them up before the ground invasion.