AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2016 An Iraqi forces M109 self-propelled howitzer fires towards the village of Tall al-Tibah, some 30 kilometres south of Mosul, on October 19, 2016, during an operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to retake the main hub city. Iraqi forces prepared to retake several key areas around Mosul, including the country's largest Christian town, to tighten the noose on the Islamic State group's stronghold. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE