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ByBramJanssen The Associated Press SOUTH OF MOSUL, IRAQ Iraqi Federal Police forces on Monday pushed into the southern outskirts of Mosul on the second day of a new push to drive Islamic State militants from the city's western half as the U.S. de- fense secretary started a visit to Iraq to discuss the fight against IS. Backed by aerial support from the U.S.-led interna- tional coalition, Iraqi police and regular army troops launched an offensive on Sunday to retake western Mosul from IS following a 100-day campaign that pushed the militants from the eastern half of the city. Iraqi helicopters were seen firing rockets at the village of Abu Saif early Monday morning, mainly at a hill that overlooks the city's airport and provides the militants with a natural defense line on the south- ern approaches to Mosul. By noon, the forces entered the village and gained con- trol over much of the strate- gic hill as fighting was still raging, according to an As- sociated Press reporter em- bedded with the forces. Separately, police forces in armored vehicles were moving toward the sprawl- ing Ghazlani military base on the southwestern out- skirts of the city. Some U.S.-led coalition soldiers in their armored vehicles were also seen ad- vancing toward Abu Saif village along with the po- lice. On Sunday, U.S. De- fense Secretary Jim Mat- tis, said while in the United Arab Emirates' capital, Abu Dhabi, that U.S. troops "are very close to it, if not al- ready engaged in that fight." Mattis declined to go into further detail, saying he owed "confidentiality" to the troops. Under President Donald Trump's deadline, Mattis has just a week to prepare a strategy to accelerate the fight and defeat IS. And any plan is likely to depend on U.S. and coalition troops working with and through the local forces in both Iraq and Syria. "We're going to make cer- tain that we've got good sit- uational awareness of what we face as we work together and fight alongside each other," Mattis said. His key goal during the visit to Baghdad is to dis- cuss the military opera- tions with political lead- ers and commanders on the ground, including his top commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend. The U.S.-led coalition has been providing close air support throughout the four-month-old Mosul of- fensive, while U.S. special operations forces are em- bedded with some Iraqi units and thousands of American soldiers are in Iraq to provide logistical and other support. There are more than 5,100 U.S. forces in Iraq, and about 500 in Syria. Mosul, Iraq's second-larg- est city and the last IS ur- ban stronghold in the coun- try, fell into the hands of the extremists in the summer of 2014, when the group cap- tured large swaths of north- ern and western Iraq. OFFENSIVE Iraqi troops push into IS-held southern outskirts of Mosul The Associated Press BEIRUT Airstrikes in the Syrian capital, Damascus, left at least seven people dead Monday as activists reported a third straight day of escalations by pro- government forces against opposition-held areas inside and around the capital. Jets believed to belong to the Russian or Syrian Air Forces pounded the Bar- zeh and Qaboun neighbor- hoods in the northeast cor- ner of the capital, leveling several buildings, and also wounded at least 12 peo- ple, the activist-run Barzeh Media Center and Britain- based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. The side-by-side Bar- zeh, Qaboun, and Tishreen neighborhoods form one of the last two footholds of the Syrian opposition inside the Damascus city limits. The two neighborhoods connect to a vast, opposi- tion-held district in the sub- urbs of the capital through a network of smuggling tunnels, according to Syria researcher Aron Lund, in a report for the U.S.-based Century Foundation policy institute. Pro-government forces have so far failed to collapse rebel defenses inside the Eastern Ghouta district, de- spite besieging them there since 2013. The Syrian Civil Defense first responders, also known as the White Helmets, re- leased a video showing its volunteers trying to rescue a girl from under the rubble of a collapsed building after an airstrike on the Tishreen neighborhood. Also on Monday, the Rus- sian military reported the deaths of four of its service- men when they their vehi- cle was struck by a roadside in the center of the country last Thursday. The loss raised the total Russian combat casualties so far in Syria's war to 27. The four died when they were travelling as part of a Syrian military convoy to the central city of Homs on Thursday from the Tiyas air base, which is close to the ancient town of Palmyra held by the Islamic State group. The Russian Defense Ministry said the bomb was detonated by remote con- trol. Two other servicemen were wounded in the blast. Palmyra, about 60 kilo- meters (37 miles) away, is one of the focal points of the battle against the ex- tremist group. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but blame is likely to fall on IS. Moscow launched its mil- itary operations in support of President Bashar Assad's forces in September 2015. ESCALATIONS 7 killed in airstrikes on Syrian capital NATO ALLIANCE VIRGINIAMAYO—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS United States Vice President Mike Pence, right, speaks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg prior to a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday. By Ken Thomas and Lorne Cook The Associated Press BRUSSELS U.S. Vice Pres- ident Mike Pence on Mon- day vowed to stand with the European Union and the NATO military alli- ance, but was met with some skepticism from lead- ers shaken by President Donald Trump's more crit- ical comments. European Union Coun- cil President Donald Tusk said he had "open and frank talks" with Pence and that the bloc would watch closely to ensure the U.S. acts on its words of support. "I heard words which are promising for the future, words which explain a lot about the new approach in Washington," Tusk said. "Too many new and sometimes surprising opin- ions have been voiced over this time about our rela- tions — and our common security — for us to pretend that everything is as it used to be," he said, adding that Europe was counting on the United States' "whole- hearted and unequivocal" support. Tusk added, "Both Euro- peans and Americans must simply practice what they preach." Trump's benevolence to- ward Russian President Vladimir Putin and cam- paign rhetoric that in- cluded branding NATO ob- solete and vowing to undo a series of multinational trade deals has sparked anxiety in Europe. Trump was also supportive of Brit- ain's vote last year to leave the 28-nation EU, a with- drawal known as Brexit. And he has suggested that the EU itself could soon fall apart. In a visit Brussels, Pence said Trump had asked him "to express the strong com- mitment of the United States to continued cooper- ation and partnership with the European Union." After talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Pence reiter- ated the administration's strong support for the al- liance, but warned that Trump wants to see "real progress" by the end of the year on boosting defense spending. NATO leaders agreed in 2014 that alliance members needed to start spending at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product by 2024. Only five nations currently do so: the United States, Britain, Poland, Es- tonia and Greece. "The truth is many oth- ers, including some of our largest allies, still lack a clear and credible path to meet this minimum goal," Pence said. Asked what the admin- istration would do if allies failed to meet the defense spending target, Pence said, "I don't know what the answer is to 'or else,' but I know that the pa- tience of the American peo- ple will not endure forever." Pence's meetings in Brussels were aimed at as- suring European leaders that his words reflected the views of Trump and would not easily be swept away at the whim of the U.S. pres- ident or undermined by statements issued on Twit- ter. Pence, as he did in an ad- dress Saturday at the Mu- nich Security Conference, also said Trump would de- mand that Russia honor its commitments to end the fighting in Ukraine. "In the interest of peace and in the interest of inno- cent human lives, we hope and pray that this cease- fire takes hold," he said. The vice president also noted the "heartbreak- ing" suicide bombings at the Brussels airport and subway system in March 2016, and said the U.S. would continue to collab- orate with EU partners to address safety and combat terrorism. "The United States' com- mitment to the European Union is steadfast and en- during," he said. Pence tries to reassure European le ad er s sh ak en b y Tr um p By Eileen Ng The Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA North Korea's top envoy in Kuala Lumpur on Mon- day denounced Malaysia's investigation into the ap- parent killing of the ex- iled half brother of North Korea's ruler, calling it po- litically motivated and de- manding a joint probe into the death. The comments from Ambassador Kang Chol came amid rising tensions between North Korea and Malaysia over the death, with Malaysia recalling its ambassador to Pyongyang over what it called "base- less" allegations. Kim Jong Nam, the es- tranged half brother of North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un, died last week after apparently being poi- soned in a Kuala Lumpur airport. Security camera footage obtained by Jap- anese television appeared to show a careful and de- liberate attack in which a woman comes up from be- hind him and holds some- thing over his mouth. Pyongyang demanded custody of Kim's body and strongly objected to an au- topsy. The Malaysians not only went ahead but also conducted a second au- topsy, saying the results of the first were inconclusive. Malaysian authorities say they were simply fol- lowing procedures, but Kang questioned their mo- tives. "The investigation by the Malaysian police is not for the clarification of the cause of the death and search for the suspect, but it is out of the political aim," Ambassador Kang Chol told reporters Mon- day. He referred to the dead man as "Kim Chol," the name on the pass- port found with Kim Jong Nam. Police had "pinned the suspicion on us," Kang said, calling on Malaysia and the international com- munity to work with North Korea on a joint investiga- tion. Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak told reporters later Monday that he has "absolute confidence" that police and doctors have been "very objective" in their work. Najib said Malaysia had no reason to "paint the North Koreans in a bad light" but added, "We ex- pect them to understand that we apply the rule of law in Malaysia." Kang previously said Malaysia may be "trying to conceal something." On Monday, the Malaysian for- eign ministry said it had recalled its ambassador to Pyongyang "for consulta- tions" and had summoned Kang to a meeting, "to seek an explanation on the ac- cusations he made." The statement called Kang's comments "base- less" and said it "takes very seriously any unfounded attempt to tarnish its rep- utation." Police investigating the killing have so far arrested four people carrying iden- tity documents from North Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Those ar- rested include two women who were allegedly seen approaching Kim on Feb. 13 as he stood at a ticket- ing kiosk at the budget ter- minal of the Kuala Lumpur airport. DEATH OF RULER'S BROTHER N. 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