In Iraq, army has closed in on the centre of Shirqat, a northern town held by IS seen as a stepping stone in a military campaign to recapture the armed group's stronghold of Mosul. The army, backed by local police and tribal fighters, took 12 nearby villages since launching the operation on Tuesday morning, Ali Dawdah, the mayor of Shirqat currently based in Erbil, said yesterday. With air support from a US-led coalition, the troops are now less than 3 kilometers from the town centre, according to Dawdah, who said he expected the campaign to be concluded within 48 hours. <br/><br/>Five security personnel and one civilian were killed in the battle for Shirqat, said the mayor. The town lies on the west bank of the River Tigris in Salaheddin province, 260 km northwest of Baghdad and around 80 km south of Mosul.<br/>Meanwhile, a top US official said yesterday that the push on Mosul could begin as early as next month.