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Battle for Mosul begins: Iraqi and Kurdish forces launch assault on Isis stronghold – latest news Battle for Mosul begins: Iraqi and Kurdish forces launch assault on Isis stronghold – latest news
(35 minutes later)
7.47am BST
07:47
What we know so far
7.43am BST
07:43
Images taken this morning show peshmerga fighters setting up artillery east of Mosul.
7.34am BST
07:34
US-led coalition providing support for Iraqi and Kurdish fighters
From the Associated Press:
Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, says the US-led coalition is providing wide support for the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the battle for Mosul.But he stressed, “to be clear, the thousands of ground combat forces who will liberate Mosul are all Iraqis.”Townsend’s statement came shortly after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of operations on Monday to liberate the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants.The US commander pledged the coalition will continue to use “precision to accurately attack the enemy and to minimize any impact on innocent civilians.”He says: “This may prove to be a long and tough battle, but the Iraqis have prepared for it and we will stand by them.”
7.26am BST7.26am BST
07:2607:26
Photojournalist Souvid Datta recently visited the front line, spending time with Yazidi female fighters, refugees at the Debaga camp and communities trying to get on with life in the shadow of Isis.Photojournalist Souvid Datta recently visited the front line, spending time with Yazidi female fighters, refugees at the Debaga camp and communities trying to get on with life in the shadow of Isis.
7.06am BST7.06am BST
07:0607:06
Fighter jet engages Isis mortar positionsFighter jet engages Isis mortar positions
Martin ChulovMartin Chulov
This again from Martin outside Mosul:This again from Martin outside Mosul:
We have come to a stop a number of kilometres outside of Mosul in the middle of a parched field. We appear to be between two battles raging away in villages either side.We have come to a stop a number of kilometres outside of Mosul in the middle of a parched field. We appear to be between two battles raging away in villages either side.
There has been a jet in the sky which has been engaged in a kind of cat and mouse game with a very active Isis mortar team.There has been a jet in the sky which has been engaged in a kind of cat and mouse game with a very active Isis mortar team.
The jet has been struggling to pinpoint the location of the mortar because of the thick black smoke which has enveloped parts of the battlefield.The jet has been struggling to pinpoint the location of the mortar because of the thick black smoke which has enveloped parts of the battlefield.
It appeared a few minutes ago that the mortar had been taken out but then a shell landed near to our location just now so if one team had been taken out, there is another one there.It appeared a few minutes ago that the mortar had been taken out but then a shell landed near to our location just now so if one team had been taken out, there is another one there.
6.58am BST6.58am BST
06:5806:58
Tweets from reporters on the ground show air strikes hitting villages close to Mosul, US special forces surveying the enemy and a peshmerga fighter sitting on a hillside clutching his rifle.Tweets from reporters on the ground show air strikes hitting villages close to Mosul, US special forces surveying the enemy and a peshmerga fighter sitting on a hillside clutching his rifle.
Another big airstrike from coalition warplane hit a village south of #Mosul. pic.twitter.com/eJsXfKF8pjAnother big airstrike from coalition warplane hit a village south of #Mosul. pic.twitter.com/eJsXfKF8pj
US special forces looking out at ISIS over Zertek mountain in Khazir #Mosul pic.twitter.com/rgQfRncMTUUS special forces looking out at ISIS over Zertek mountain in Khazir #Mosul pic.twitter.com/rgQfRncMTU
Taking a break from the fighting #Peshmerga # Mosul pic.twitter.com/LYynvjvZfkTaking a break from the fighting #Peshmerga # Mosul pic.twitter.com/LYynvjvZfk
6.41am BST6.41am BST
06:4106:41
'The mortar fire is intensifying' – audio'The mortar fire is intensifying' – audio
Martin ChulovMartin Chulov
Martin Chulov, who has joined a peshmerga forces convoy en route to Mosul, explains that fighting is intensifying around them as the group closes in on four villages to the north-east of the city today, a move that will put them on the edge of the city limits.Martin Chulov, who has joined a peshmerga forces convoy en route to Mosul, explains that fighting is intensifying around them as the group closes in on four villages to the north-east of the city today, a move that will put them on the edge of the city limits.
6.25am BST6.25am BST
06:2506:25
Iraqi PM promises the nation will 'celebrate victory as one'Iraqi PM promises the nation will 'celebrate victory as one'
The hour has struck. The campaign to liberate Mosul has begun. Beloved people of Mosul, the Iraqi nation will celebrate victory as oneThe hour has struck. The campaign to liberate Mosul has begun. Beloved people of Mosul, the Iraqi nation will celebrate victory as one
6.20am BST6.20am BST
06:2006:20
6.13am BST6.13am BST
06:1306:13
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting line – which we cannot confirm – in its piece on the battle for Mosul, suggesting that Isis has decided to give up on the city.The Wall Street Journal has an interesting line – which we cannot confirm – in its piece on the battle for Mosul, suggesting that Isis has decided to give up on the city.
A mid-ranking Islamic State commander said in an interview over Facebook that the group has made a tactical decision to partially abandon Mosul, recalling their “human resources” to Syria where they hope to strengthen their foothold. “There will be no big great epic battle in Mosul,” the commander said. “The tactic now is hit-and-run.”A mid-ranking Islamic State commander said in an interview over Facebook that the group has made a tactical decision to partially abandon Mosul, recalling their “human resources” to Syria where they hope to strengthen their foothold. “There will be no big great epic battle in Mosul,” the commander said. “The tactic now is hit-and-run.”
6.07am BST6.07am BST
06:0706:07
Mona Mahmood and Emma Graham-Harrison wrote on Sunday about how Mosul’s one million residents were bracing for the assault.Mona Mahmood and Emma Graham-Harrison wrote on Sunday about how Mosul’s one million residents were bracing for the assault.
Those stuck in Mosul are digging makeshift bomb shelters, stockpiling food and, as the battle draws closer, mostly staying at home to avoid bombs or provoking militants.Those stuck in Mosul are digging makeshift bomb shelters, stockpiling food and, as the battle draws closer, mostly staying at home to avoid bombs or provoking militants.
Isis has banned mobile phones, but after midnight the city is alive with whispered calls, as the people of Mosul catch up with loved ones outside the city, or sometimes plan their own escape.Isis has banned mobile phones, but after midnight the city is alive with whispered calls, as the people of Mosul catch up with loved ones outside the city, or sometimes plan their own escape.
Read the full story here:Read the full story here:
5.54am BST5.54am BST
05:5405:54
Peshmerga forces eight miles from MosulPeshmerga forces eight miles from Mosul
Martin ChulovMartin Chulov
Mortar rounds are landing nearby as the convoys advance steadily to ward Mosul. We are now roughly eight miles from the city limits.Mortar rounds are landing nearby as the convoys advance steadily to ward Mosul. We are now roughly eight miles from the city limits.
There has been a large explosion about two miles ahead. Speculation is that it was a car bomb.There has been a large explosion about two miles ahead. Speculation is that it was a car bomb.
As we go by I have just seen, only five minutes ago, a number of new fires which have been lit by Isis. Large mushroom clouds of black smoke are rising up from them.As we go by I have just seen, only five minutes ago, a number of new fires which have been lit by Isis. Large mushroom clouds of black smoke are rising up from them.
5.46am BST
05:46
Footage has emerged on Twitter purporting to show peshmerga fighters on the move towards villages near Mosul.
The sun has come up on the #MosulOffensive as #Peshmerga advance on several villages and smoke rises from airstrikes. pic.twitter.com/x1hV1Iiaxl
5.35am BST
05:35
Half a million children in the firing line
While the fighters prepare for the assault, it is worth pausing to consider the plight of the civilians living inside Mosul.
Save the Children has warned that the lives of more than half a million children now hang in the balance.
Aram Shakaram, Save the Children’s Deputy Country Director in Iraq, said:
Unless safe routes to escape the fighting are established, many families will have no choice but to stay and risk being killed by crossfire or bombardment, trapped beyond the reach of humanitarian aid with little food or medical care.
Those that try to flee will be forced to navigate a city ringed with booby traps, snipers and hidden landmines. Without immediate action to ensure people can flee safely, we are likely to see bloodshed of civilians on a massive scale.
5.26am BST
05:26
Images from outside Mosul show peshmerga fighters and the Iraqi army preparing for the assault.
5.18am BST
05:18
Martin Chulov
More here from Martin Chulov as the convoy he is with moves forward:
Isis held villages now several miles away. Shrouded in a black haze caused by oil poured into moats around Mosul and set alight. The defence of the city has been medieval.
Bulldozers are now moving forward to breach earth berms. There are likely to be explosives hidden in the ground.
Updated
at 5.27am BST
5.10am BST
05:10
In an analysis of the challenge facing the Iraqi authorities in Mosul, Martin Chulov and Patrick Wintour write that while victory over the terror group appears very likely, gnawing doubts remain over what comes next.
While military moves are at an advanced stage, the questions of how to provide for up to 1.3 million refugees, or how to re-establish governance in a city brutalised by two years of tyranny is increasingly consuming aid agencies and regional officials, some of whom believe that whatever emerges from Mosul will determine the fate of Iraq.
Read the full story here:
5.05am BST
05:05
The battle plan
5.03am BST
05:03
Martin Chulov
The sun is over the horizon and a large column of battle trucks and bulldozers are edging across a mountain towards Isis held villages. Artillery is thudding.
Isis is believed to have heavily mined roads leading into its territory. They are thought to have placed large numbers of IEDs in the villages it continues to cling to.
The Iraqi government had previously asked for Mosul residents to stay in their homes however aid agencies are bracing for as many as 300,000 people to flee the city in the coming days.
Updated
at 5.10am BST
4.56am BST
04:56
Reporters on the scene have been tweeting about the beginning of the offensive.
Advancing across the plains #Peshmerga in the battle for #Mosul pic.twitter.com/A46TYX4dMR
Sun coming up over Mosul. Growing # of thuds from airstrikes & artillery in the area.
Peshmerga now firing mortars down from hill In Bashiqa. Can hear thumps as they land #Mosul
Peshmerga forces moving forward on the Khazir front this morning pic.twitter.com/nwCY7fQEy7
4.55am BST
04:55
Martin Chulov
Columns or armour started moving toward towns to the north east of Mosul just after 5.30am local time.
Earlier Kurdish forces had stood around bonfires singing battle hymns ahead of the move. You could hear air strikes sounding in the distance from midnight along with a regularly artillery barage.
An acrid smog has hung over the mountains and the plains leading to Mosul caused by oil fires that Isis had lit in anticipation of this attack over the past few days. It has shrouded the battlefield in a noxious haze.
Updated
at 5.19am BST
4.55am BST
04:55
Battle for Mosul begins
A long-awaited offensive to seize back Mosul after two years of Isis control has begun with columns of armour and military starting to move on the Northern Iraqi city.
The start of the offensive, which has been months in the planning, was announced in an address on state television by Iraq’s prime minster in the early hours of Monday morning.
Haider al-Abadi said: “We have been battling Isis for more than two years. We started fighting Isis in the outskirts of Baghdad, and thank God we are now fighting them in the outskirts of Mosul, and God willing the decisive battle will be soon.”
Read the full story here: