Iraqi special forces have entered the outskirts of Mosul, taking the state television building and advancing despite fierce resistance by Islamic State (IS) fighters who hold the city.

Iraqi forces have pushed into a town south of Mosul after Islamic State fighters fled with civilians used as human shields, officials said.

Iraq’s armed forces, backed by Shi’ite militia, attacked Islamic State (IS) strongholds north of Baghdad yesterday as they launched an offensive to retake the city of Tikrit and the surrounding Sunni Muslim province of Salahuddin.