Entering Mosul from north, Iraqi army faces gruelling urban combat

NORTH OF MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - In the morning, spirits were high among Iraqi troops battling Islamic State for control of Mosul as they advanced on the northern edge of the city, helped by a salvo of rockets fired by the U.S.-led coalition.

But as Friday wore on, the mood grew tense on the rooftop behind the frontline where Iraqi commanders and U.S. advisers were coordinating the fighting, as they came up against the challenges of combat in an urban environment and the militants detonated a car bomb.