Located some 250 miles north of Baghdad, the original city of Mosul stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank. Under control from the Daesh, or Islamic State, since mid 2014, Mosul is ISIS’s last remaining major city, and most priced possession, in Northern Iraq. It has a widely diverse and inclusive population that, at the start of the 21st century, included Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians, Turks, Kurds, and Yazidis, in addition to other smaller ethnic minorities.
Due to its importance to ISIS in Northern Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition and the Iraqi government has been plotting it re-taking the city since the day it was captured. The Battle of Mosul, a military offensive to re-take the city, began in earnest just a few days ago. It is the largest deployment of Iraqi forces since the 2003 invasion by U.S. and coalition forces. However, before you get to the Battle of Mosul, one needs to look at the preparation for battle by Kurdish and Iraqi forces, as done in this interesting piece, on the Road to Mosul.
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How much more difficult would this undertaking have been to Iraqi forces without the work done by Kurdish forces? Sound off and share your opinions and comments in the section below.
