2 major battles for ISIS-controlled cities are unfolding in Syria and Iraq

REUTERS

Syrian and Iraqi forces are bringing the fight to ISIS on Thursday, launching attacks on two cities controlled by the militant group that is also known as the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh.

Syrian troops have entered Palmyra, an ancient town controlled by ISIS, according to Syrian state TV.

Simultaneously, an Iraqi military spokesman says, the long-awaited military operation to recapture the northern city of Mosul from ISIS militants "has begun."

It's unclear whether the two attacks are coordinated.

Homs governor Talal Barazi tells the Associated Press that the army has determined three directions to storm the town and is now clearing all roads leading to Palmyra from mines and explosives.

Barazi said Thursday he was predicting an "overwhelming victory in Palmyra" within the next 48 hours.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the troops are facing tough resistance from ISIS extremists as they try to penetrate the town's eastern and southern limits.

Roughly 300 miles away, a similar fight is unfolding in Iraq.

REUTERS

The spokesman for the Joint Military Command, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, says Iraqi forces retook several villages on the outskirts of the town of Makhmour, east of Mosul, on Thursday morning.

Rasool says the US-led international coalition is providing air support. He wouldn't divulge more details.

It was not immediately clear how long such a complex and taxing operation could take. Mosul lies 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

It's Iraq's second-largest city, and it fell to ISIS during the militants' June 2014 onslaught. Mosul is also the largest city in ISIS' self-declared caliphate, and it is seen as the group's Iraqi capital.

ISIS has controlled Palmyra since May and has destroyed many of its famed archaeological sites.

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