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| kurdish peshmerga Soldiers (File Photo) |
As U.S-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance pushed closer to Raqa in Syria, Iraqi forces seized a key town near Mosul as offensives progressed against the two Daesh strongholds.
After announcing the launch of the long-awaited assault on Raqa on Sunday, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance said it had moved south towards the city despite fierce jihadist resistance.
South of Mosul, Iraqi forces retook Hamam al-Alil from Daesh, a key objective in their three-week advance on the city.
Iraqi forces said Monday they found a mass grave in the area containing around 100 decapitated bodies.
Raqa and Mosul are the last major cities in Syria and Iraq under the jihadists' control.
Their capture would deal a huge blow to the self-styled "caliphate" Daesh declared in mid-2014.
The U.S-led coalition that launched operations against Daesh two years ago is providing crucial backing to the offensives, with air strikes and special forces advisers on the ground.
SDF spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed told AFP that the alliance's forces had advanced on two fronts towards Raqa amid heavy fighting.
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