Baghdad’s elite Golden Division special forces say they are 3.5 kms from the Tigris river that splits Mosul in two, Iraqi news reports this morning. Progress has been slower as the forces chip away at Islamic State defenses around the city, followed by continued reports of unearthed mass graves while the humanitarian situation inside the city worsens during the seventh week of the Mosul offensive.

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Happening today: The Stimson Center is hosting a discussion with Jameel Jaffer, Founding Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute and Charlie Savage of The New York Times on counter-terrorism and the future of the U.S. drone program. That gets under way at 3:30 pm EDT in Washington. Details here.

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