It was from Mosul 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. Earlier Sunday, ISIS lost the Syrian city of Dabiq to Syrian opposition forces, backed by Turkey.
Mosul's importance in the so-called caliphate makes the battle to reclaim the city unlike any other battle between the Iraqi forces, backed by the USA -led coalition on one side and the terror group on the other. This allowed Iraqi forces to weaken the group by cutting supply lines used to ferry fighters and supplies between territory held in Syria and Iraq.
"The size of Mosul makes this by far the largest task the ISF has undertaken to date", Air Force Col. John Dorrian, a coalition spokesman, said last week, referring to Iraqi security forces. The Iraqi forces moving on Mosul will include at least 10 Iraqi Army brigades and two Kurdish Peshmerga brigades, all trained by the US led coalition in Iraq.
Peshmerga forces ride on military vehicles to the east of Mosul during preparation to attack on October 15.
Fadhil voiced concern about potential action from Turkish troops based in the region of Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul.
Well dug in, it is assumed they have laid IEDs and booby trapped buildings, even streets, while ruling the city for two years. "We will restore order and stability in Mosul".
Iraqi government forces are asking civilians to cooperate with them as they slowly clear towns house-by-house.
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Mosul residents say IS fighters have blocked major roads and bridges in and out of Mosul.
Iraqi aircraft dropped "tens of thousands" of leaflets, some bearing safety instructions for Mosul residents, ahead of an operation to retake the city from militants, the military said.
Iraqi security forces also recently recaptured the Qayyara oil refinery and seized the Qayyara airbase, Iraq's third-largest.
Mosul, a city nearly 3,000 years old, would represent ISIS' last stand in Iraq. He stressed that the population of Mosul is not all supporters of IS, "they're just people who had no other opportunity or a place to go" and urged Iraqi forces to "show will and a very serious commitment to protecting civilians and ensuring their wellbeing".
The mission is launching with 30,000 Iraqi and Kurdish forces to free about 1 million civilians from ISIS rule in its last Iraqi stronghold, and many in the city are expected to flee when the fighting begins. ISIS has been moving fighters into the city, building trenches, and planting explosives for Iraqi forces entering in anticipation of the battle.
From early on, American military officials have telegraphed that the city would be enveloped from the north and south by as many as eight Iraqi Army brigades and two Kurdish Peshmerga brigades. Some Iraqi officials are concerned that the military operation is being rushed before the country's politicians have agreed on how the province will be governed after the Islamic State group is pushed out.
