Battle for Mosul: Operation to retake Iraqi city from IS "begins"

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Iraqi forces have been preparing for the offensive at a base near Mosul

A military operation to recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul from so-called Islamic State (IS) has begun, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says.

The long-awaited assault from Kurdish Peshmerga, Iraqi government and allied forces is backed by the US-led coalition fighting IS in Iraq.

Mosul, Iraq"s second largest city, has been under IS control since June 2014.

The UN has warned that the humanitarian impact could be "enormous", and affect up to 1.2 million people.

Mosul is the group"s last major stronghold in Iraq. The loss of the city, officials say, would mark the effective defeat of IS in the country.

• UN prepares for aftermath "chaos"


• Battle must navigate ethnic rivalries


• Is IS finished?

In an address broadcast on state television in the early hours of Monday, Mr Abadi said: "The hour has come and the moment of great victory is near."

"Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh," he added, using another name for IS.

Dressed in military uniform and surrounded by Iraqi officers, he vowed that only government forces would enter Mosul, a Sunni-majority city.

• Iraq seeks help as it sets sights on Mosul


• Inside Mosul: What"s life like under IS?


• The full IS story

It was from there that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate – a state governed in accordance with Islamic law – in territory controlled by the group in Iraq and Syria.

An operation to retake the city, capital of the northern Nineveh governorate, has been planned for months.

Image copyright AFP

Image caption The Iraqi army has scored important gains against IS recently

Brig Gen Haider Fadhil told AP news agency that more than 25,000 troops would take part in the offensive.

The US envoy to the coalition against IS, Brett McGurk, said on Twitter: "We are proud to stand with you in this historic operation."

Media captionMosul diary: "I feel like I"m living in a prison"

Thousands of leaflets have been dropped in recent days warning that the offensive was imminent.

There are no firm figures on how many people remain in Mosul, but there were more than two million there when IS took it more than two years ago.

The group has lost almost a quarter of the territory it once controlled, according to new data.

Original Article

Battle for Mosul: Operation to retake Iraqi city from IS "begins"
http://latiendadejm.com/blog/battle-for-mosul-operation-to-retake-iraqi-city-from-is-begins/

| | La tienda de JM