GLOBAL ECONOMY

Iraqi forces take northern edge of IS-held town

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Suspected members of the Islamic State group wait to be taken for interrogation after being found among civilians returning to Ramadi for the first time since the city was taken back by Iraqi government forces earlier this year, in Ramadi, Iraq, Sunday, April 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

Iraqi security forces detain suspected members of the Islamic State group for interrogation after the men were found among civilians returning to Ramadi for the first time since the city was taken back by Iraqi government forces earlier this year, at a checkpoint in Ramadi, Iraq, Sunday, April 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

Iraqi security forces check identification documents at a checkpoint near the entrance to Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, April 3, 2016. Thousands of civilians have returned to the city after Iraqi government forces retook the Anbar provincial capital from the Islamic State group earlier this year. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

Iraqi forces say they have taken the northern edge of the Islamic State group held town of Hit, 85 miles (140 kilometers) west of Baghdad, after hundreds of roadside bombs littering the surrounding area slowed progress for days.

Bombs planted by IS in fields and along main roads leading in and out of Hit repeatedly brought convoys of Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces to a standstill Sunday as they moved to encircle the area. The U.S.-led coalition said Iraqi forces are in Hit's outskirts and are still working to surround the town.

Hit lies along a supply line linking the extremist group's fighters in Iraq to those in neighboring Syria. Iraqi and coalition officials say retaking the town will be a key step before an eventual push on IS-held Mosul.