Kurds pause in Mosul offensive, say Iraqi army will advance

Iraqi forces are deployed during an offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants outside Mosul, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. Columns of Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led airstrikes slowly advanced on Mosul from several directions on Monday, launching a long-awaited operation to retake Iraq's second largest city from the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) (The Associated Press)

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Graphic shows the geography and strategies so far for taking Mosul, Iraq from the Islamic State group; 4c x 5 inches; 195.7 mm x 127 mm; (The Associated Press)

KHAZER, Iraq – Iraq's Kurdish forces say they are pausing in their advance on Mosul after capturing a handful of villages to the east from the Islamic State group as the Iraqi army presses ahead with the next stage of the operation to retake the IS-held city.

Col. Khathar Sheikhan of the Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, says his troops achieved their objectives and "are just holding our positions" in the Khazer area on Tuesday.

The pause comes after a day of intense fighting involving airstrikes, heavy artillery and IS car bombs.

The battle for Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and the IS group's last urban bastion, started on Monday. It's expected to take weeks or even months.

The front line east of Mosul is some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the city.