At Iraqi village, victory is fraught with risks in Mosul offensive

The wreckage of a Kurdish Peshmerga fighters' vehicle, which was destroyed by a roadside bomb explosion, is seen near a shell during a battle with Islamic State militants at Topzawa village, near Bashiqa, near Mosul

ASIA: Kurdish peshmerga fighter Germad Yihya stood on a small berm overlooking a village where he said Islamic State militants had taken a beating. A line of trees 500 meters away from his position illustrated how he can't afford to be complacent.

A day earlier, a suicide bomber had rushed out of the thick green vegetation and killed five of his comrades after Kurdish forces had fought for 10 days to gain the upper hand in Fadiliya, where 1,000 people remain trapped, surrounded by roadside bombs.