US troops build forts in Al Qaeda’s stronghold

From Dawn.

US military engineers are defying nightly attacks in a race to build forts in devastated districts of downtown Mosul ahead of what has been billed as the next key battle against Al Qaeda in Iraq. As night fell over the war-torn city on Saturday a huge convoy of dump trucks escorted by American tanks and armoured personnel carriers flowed out from Mosul’s main US base towards one of the city’s most violent districts.

The battle for Mosul continues as US and Iraqi forces continue to establish more of a presence in the city.

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