Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States has reported significant gains by Kurdish forces in northern Iraq.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said forces from the Kurdish Regional Government have advanced against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. Centcom said Kurdish forces captured three positions north of Mosul, the second largest city and deemed the headquarters of ISIL in Iraq.

“Security forces from the Kurdish region seized three bridgeheads on the west bank of the Tigris River, north of Mosul in formerly held Daesh [ISIL] areas,” Centcom said.

In a statement on Feb. 9, Centcom said the Kurdish advance was aided by U.S.-led air strikes on ISIL positions near Mosul, Middle East Newsline reported. The U.S. military said advisers and mentors were providing the Kurdish forces with operational and intelligence assistance.

“From Feb. 6-8, in support of the government of Iraq’s campaign to defeat ISIL, the coalition executed four close air support airstrikes to facilitate the maneuver of the Kurdish security forces and their successful attack,” Centcom said.

Centcom did not say how far the Kurdish forces, called Peshmerga, were from Mosul, captured by ISIL in June 2014. Officials acknowledged that KRG units have been far more effective than those of the Iraq Army, which collapsed in the ISIL offensive last year. On Feb. 2-3, 20 countries sent representatives to a U.S.-sponsored conference on how to defeat ISIL amid plans for a major ground offensive in March.

“This most recent Peshmerga operation is yet another example of how Daesh can be defeated militarily using a combination of well led and capable ground forces enabled by coalition aviation and advise and assist capabilities.” U.S. Army Lt. Gen. James Terry, coalition commander in Iraq, said.

  U.S. cites Kurdish gains North of ISIL headquarters in Mosul, WorldTribune.com