Double bomb attacks rock Iraq's capital

Twin bombs attacks in the Iraqi capital Baghdad have left ten dead and 22 wounded on Friday with officials saying the attacks bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State group.

The casualty toll for Friday's attacks was provided by police and hospital officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief reporters.

Iraqi forces, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, have launched a large scale attack to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group.

Progress has been slow as IS fighters hunker down in defensive positions, with advancing troops faced with the threat of snipers, suicide attacks, and booby-trapped explosives.

Iraqi forces - which include the Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga, and Shia militias known as the Popular Mobilisation Units - currently control less than a quarter of the city and have faced significant setbacks this week in Mosul's south-east.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has continued to pledge that the city will be retaken by the end of the year but has also a warned that IS will continue to launch insurgent attacks in Iraqi even after they have lost control of Mosul.

Attacks carried out by IS in Kirkuk in October have already shown the extremist group’s ability to strike in territories outside its control.

With Barack Obama’s tenure as US President set to finish in January his administration too is said to be keen to see victory secured in Mosul before Donald Trump takes up residence in the Oval Office.