Irbil, Iraq (CNN)Rashid Fouad Abdullah is a Kurdish peshmerga fighter in his late 50s, but he's younger than his gun. It's a British artillery piece manufactured in 1941, kept in immaculate condition and in daily service as Kurdish forces tighten their grip around Iraq's second city, Mosul. Abdullah is one of a few dozen peshmerga stationed on Mount Zartak, overlooking Mosul from the east. The city is still firmly under the control of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, but the peshmerga are in buoyant mood, having first stemmed and then partially reversed territorial gains made by ISIS last summer.
@highlight
In northern Iraq, Kurds are taking the lead in keeping ISIS at bay
@highlight
They say they need heavy machine guns, anti-tank missiles and armored vehicles
In the meantime, they are intent on strangling ISIS in Mosul by cutting off its freedom of movement and resupply from @placeholder.