CAIRO, October 23. /TASS/. Iraqi government forces have entered the last settlement on the northern approaches to Mosul, Alsumaria TV channel reported on Sunday.

Army units launched as offensive at the settlement of Tall Kayf, just five kilometers from Mosul, the "capital" of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization (banned in Russia). According to Alsumaria, Iraqi forces seized two districts and raised national flags there. Other reports said that an airstrike at Tall Kayf killed a senior IS commander in Mosul.

The ground military operation to liberate Mosul in the Nineveh Governorate started in the morning of October 17. Nearly 60,000 troops are taking part in the operation, including government forces, anti-terrorist units, police forces, Peshmerga forces, and Al-Haashd Al-Shaabi militia.

The ground operation is supported from the air by the US-led coalition and Iraqi aviation. According to intelligence data, there are currently up to 6,000 IS militants in Mosul.