The Iraqi army has made gains in a slow and hard-fought advance into the northern city of Mosul. On Sunday, the Counter-Terrorism Service said they took over the neighborhood of al-Noor. The elite forces said so far, they have liberated 35 districts in the east of the ISIL-held city.

To discuss next stages of the Mosul offensive that was launched in October, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad on Sunday. He held talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and then flew to the Kurdistan region. There he met with President of the Kurdish region Massoud Barzani and Peshmerga soldiers.