In Iraq, army troops stormed into a Christian region that has been under Islamic State control since 2014. The advance took place as US Defense Secretary Ash Carter met Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad yesterday, to evaluate the campaign that began on Monday with air and ground support from the US-led coalition. A military statement said Iraqi units entered the center of Qaraqosh, a mainly Christian town about 20 kilometers southeast of Mosul, and were carrying out mop-up operations across the town. Further action was underway to seize a neighboring Christian village, Karamless.<br/><br/>Earlier this week, Iraqi special units also captured Bartella, a Christian village north of Qaraqosh. The army is trying to advance from the south and the east while Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are holding fronts in the east and north. <br/><br/>The Iraqi army's media office said about 50 villages had been taken from the militants since Monday in operations to prepare the main thrust into Mosul itself.