Mosul battle: Kurdish reporter Shifa Gardi killed in Iraq

A Kurdish reporter has been killed while covering on the battle for Mosul in Iraq.

Shifa Gardi, who worked for Iraqi Kurdish channel Rudaw, was killed by a roadside bomb as she covered the advance of Iraqi forces into western areas held by so-called Islamic State.

Rudaw said that Gardi, 30, had broken the stereotypes of male-dominated journalism.

Iraqi forces continue to face stiff resistance from IS as they advance.

The Iraqi troops entered western districts of Mosul for the first time on Friday as part of an offensive begun in October to drive the jihadists from their main stronghold.

Rudaw said that Gardi's cameraman, Yunis Mustafa, was injured in the explosion.

Gardi had been presenting a daily programme on the Mosul offensive for Rudaw TV and had recently started to cover the war from inside Mosul, the channel said on its website.

After paying tribute to her, Rudaw recalled the recent incident where Gardi had found a wounded rabbit.

"The rabbit is suffering from malnutrition which has caused visible damage to its face. I brought it back with me. We will be treating the rabbit and then give it to an animal protection agency which is willing to look after it," she said.

Iraqi forces continue to face stiff resistance from IS fighters bunkered in western districts.

Special forces Lt Gen Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi told Associated Press his soldiers were "moving very slowly" in the face of attacks with car bombs, snipers and armed drones.

He said the plan was to cut supply lines and link up with eastern districts that Iraqi forces declared "fully liberated" last month.

IS jihadists overran Mosul as they spread across much of northern and western Iraq in 2014.

They lost large areas of territory, in Iraq and Syria, in 2016.