U.S., Iraqi Troops Launch Mosul Offensive

U.S. and Iraqi troops pushed into insurgent-heavy neighborhoods and stormed police stations in Mosul on Tuesday, launching an offensive to retake parts of this northern Iraqi city where militants staged a mass uprising last week in support of insurgents in Fallujah. Mosul’s five bridges were closed to start the operation and American forces began securing police stations in the western part of Iraq’s third-largest city, said Capt. Angela Bowman, with Task Force Olympia. “We are in the process of securing all of police stations and returning the police to these stations to put in place a strong police presence,” she said. “Some of those stations are in neighborhoods on the western side of the city where there has been insurgent activity and presence. We are now moving through the neighborhood.” About 1,200 U.S. soldiers were taking part in the offensive to recapture about a dozen police stations abandoned by Iraqi forces after an uprising that sprung up following the U.S.-led attack on Fallujah in a week-old operation that has left at least 38 American troops and six Iraqi soldiers dead. American officials estimate that 1,200 insurgents have been killed in the Fallujah fighting. Full Story