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<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nDespite what we heard yesterday, the battle for Mosul is progressing nicely, according to CBS News<\/a>. The Kurds are taking smaller towns north of the Iraqi city which will put them within shouting distance of Mosul soon;<\/p>\n two ISIS drones approached in the air. They were small, and it\u2019s not clear whether they were armed, but the Kurdish troops shot them down quickly. Earlier this month, two Kurdish fighters were killed by an ISIS drone loaded with explosives. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, elite Iraqi special forces troops moved into position Thursday to the east of Mosul. They\u2019re fighting to recapture several Christian towns and villages along the main road into the city. The special forces managed to enter the ancient Christian enclave of Bartella after a clashes with militants and several suicide truck bombs.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, an Iraqi officer bragged to CBS News that they would be inside Mosul within a matter of hours \u2013 a much faster approach to the city where there are thought to be less than 5,000 ISIS militants still holding out.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n According to BBC<\/a>, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is “upbeat” about the operation;<\/p>\n The Iraqi prime minister made his comments via video-link to an international meeting in Paris on the future of Mosul.<\/p>\n “The forces are pushing towards the town more quickly than we thought and more quickly than we had programmed in our campaign plan,” he said.<\/p>\n He hailed co-operation between the army and Kurdish troops, saying they were “fighting harmoniously together” to free Iraqi territory from IS.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n