Iraqi Kurdish forces have battled Islamic State militants inside the Christian town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, while Iraqi troops wage a fierce urban war with the jihadists in its eastern neighborhoods.

As the campaign against Islamic State's Iraqi stronghold entered its fourth week, the first waves of a 2,000-strong Peshmerga force entered the town of Bashiqa on Monday. The Peshmerga command said in a news release there had been 14 coalition airstrikes throughout the day and one suicide car was destroyed.

It's estimated that 100 militants and 10 suicide cars are still left in the town some 15 kilometers from Mosul.