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US-led coalition launches air strikes in Iraq ahead of Mosul offensive
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The US and partner nations have conducted 10 air strikes against the Islamic State (Isis) in Iraq since Thursday, five of them near the militant-controlled city of Mosul, the Combined Joint Task Force said on Friday.
This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason.
Related: Up to 25,000 Iraqi troops preparing for attack on Islamic State in Mosul
Up to 25,000 Iraqi troops are preparing for an offensive to retake Mosul, it was reported this week. The offensive is expected to begin in April or May.
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The coalition also said it had conducted five strikes in Syria since Thursday, four of them near the border city of Kobani, where they destroyed two fighting positions and a building and hit two tactical units, it said in a statement.
The air strikes near Mosul destroyed three fighting positions, an armored vehicle, a building and an excavator, the taskforce said. Three Isis boats were destroyed near Haditha and other strikes in Iraq hit near Kirkuk, Sinjar and Tal Af, the coalition said.
Strikes in Iraq began on 8 August and strikes in Syria began on 23 September. Isis militants who captured large swaths of territory in the two countries have been forced on to the back foot by the coalition action, although they remain capable of launching offensives.
Strikes have also been launched recently by Jordan, after a Jordanian pilot held captive by Isis was burned alive, and by Egypt, against Isis in Libya, after the militant group beheaded 21 Christians.
