Poor weather hampers advance of Iraqi special forces into Mosul

Iraqi special forces are holding their positions along Mosul's eastern outskirts as poor weather hampers their advance into the city to oust the so-called Islamic State.

Military chief Brigadier General Haider Fadhil said they did not plan to make any further advance into the terrorist stronghold on Wednesday because clouds could obscure the view of aircraft and drones.

Troops have made a swift advance to the outskirts of Mosul in recent weeks. However they have warned it could take months to finally drive out IS from the city.

Iraqi special forces have been pictured by ITV News on the eastern outskirts of Mosul, as the army continues to press further into the city.

ITV News was with Iraqi soldiers just a few kilometres from the stronghold in northern Iraq - two weeks since an operation began to liberate it from so-called Islamic State.

On Tuesday, Iraqi forces said they had reached Gagjali on the city limits of Mosul.

The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service has entered the building where the state television station is based in Mosul, a commander of the elite unit told Reuters.

The building's seizure is the first important milestone as forces battle for control of the Islamic State-held city.

Two weeks after Iraqi forces, backed by extensive U.S.-led ground and air support, launched their campaign to retake Mosul they have cleared several villages and towns while advancing along the Tigris river from the south.

But fighting inside the city itself, the jihadists' last big bastion in Iraq and still home to 1.5 million residents, could take months.

Iraq's special forces are encircling Mosul as fighting intensifies in areas around the edges of the city.

Forces from the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU) are reportedly making progress despite fierce resistance by so-called Islamic State (IS) fighters who still hold the centre of the city, an Iraqi general told Associated Press.

Footage showed PMU vehicles and soldiers undertaking operations southwest of Mosul and advancing toward capturing the town of Tal Afar.

Tal Afar, a town west of Mosul, was taken over by IS in 2014.

The United Nations has received "more reports of mass killings around Mosul" by so-called Islamic State (IS) according to a spokeswoman.

Some reports suggest IS killed 40 former Iraqi security forces on Saturday and threw their bodies into a river, the UN added.

The militants also tried to "move about 25,000 civilians to Mosul from Hammam Al-Alil on Monday" but were partly stopped by US-led coalition jets.

Iraqi special forces have entered the eastern outskirts of Mosul, according to an army general quoted by the Associated Press news agency.

The troops are reportedly advancing further into the city as fighting continues.

A major offensive to retake Mosul from so-called Islamic State (IS) militants began two weeks ago.

Fierce fighting has been taking place as Iraqi troops, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, face stiff resistance from IS militants.

Airstrikes are being used in the battle to take Mosul from so-called Islamic State (IS) fighters in Iraq, as soldiers try to breach the eastern edge of the city.

US-led coalition jets are supporting Iraqi special forces in the fight as they advance on the IS stronghold.

Iraqi troops and their allies have been bombarding IS positions on the edge of Mosul's Gogjali neighbourhood with heavy artillery, tanks and machine gun fire according to Associated Press news agency.

In the nearby village of Bazwaya, which Iraqi forces entered on Monday, smoke was seen rising from buildings where shells were landing.