Kurd forces 'advance' on Mosul dam

Kurdish forces are attempting to retake positions they held before the IS advance

Kurdish sources say their forces "are advancing" in an offensive to retake Mosul dam from the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

A joint operation involving both Kurdish forces and US air strikes has been under way since 05:00 local time (03:00 GMT), the sources said.

The strategic dam, which supplies water and electricity to northern Iraq, was seized by the militants on 7 August.

IS has seized a swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria, displacing millions.

The reported US strikes followed nine conducted on Saturday against IS targets near the dam and the city of Irbil.

Altogether 14 vehicles manned by IS militants were hit, including armour left behind by the US forces when they left Iraq three years ago, but later seized by the militants.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Irbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, says there is a hope that the militants may be induced to leave the dam by the threat of extreme force.

The dam is seen as a vital target, not least because a breach of it could cause a disaster, sending a 20m high wall of water into the city of Mosul and on towards Baghdad, our correspondent adds.