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In dawn assault, Iraqi special forces near Mosul from east

Associated Press
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An Iraqi army soldier fires his rifle in the town of Shura, some 30 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. Iraqi troops approaching Mosul from the south advanced into Shura on Saturday after a wave of US led airstrikes and artillery shelling against Islamic State positions inside town. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) (The Associated Press)

Iraqi Federal Police officers observe as air and ground strikes hit the town of Shura, some 30 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. Iraqi troops approaching Mosul from the south advanced into Shura on Saturday after a wave of US led airstrikes and artillery shelling against Islamic State positions inside town. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic) (The Associated Press)

An Iraqi army soldier walks to a tent at the Qayara air base, south of Mosul, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 31, 2016. For two weeks, Iraqi forces and their Kurdish allies, Sunni tribesmen and Shiite militias have been converging on Mosul from multiple directions to drive Islamic State militants from Iraq's second largest city. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) (The Associated Press)

Iraqi special forces are advancing on the Islamic State-held city of Mosul from the east under heavy fire, inching closer to the city's limits.

Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil says car bombers are trying to stop the advance, but that his troops aim to enter Mosul's eastern outskirts today and that they're just 3 kilometers (2 miles) from that position now.

The Monday dawn assault saw armored vehicles, including Abrams tanks, move on the suburb of Bazwaya as allied artillery and airstrikes hit IS positions, drawing mortar and small arms fire.

For two weeks, Iraqi forces and their Kurdish allies, Sunni tribesmen and Shiite militias have been converging on Mosul from all directions to drive IS from Iraq's second largest city.

The operation is expected to take weeks, if not months.