To secure Mosul, Iraq army makes desert push with US help Much of the fighting for west Mosul will be at close quarters, but Iraq's battle against the Islamic State group is also being waged in the open desert. On a dusty ridge west of Iraq's second city, the army's 9th Division is advancing through exposed territory in a push to sever the road between west Mosul and the IS-held town of Tal Afar. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES