Iraqi Kurdish troops take more ground east of IS-held Mosul

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces say they have completed the operation to retake a string of villages east of the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group, an advance that is part of laying the groundwork ahead of the key battle for Iraq's second-largest city.

Iraqi forces and the Kurdish troops are seeking to encircle Mosul, which has been under IS control for more than two years.