Why Mosul is so important in the battle against ISIS

CTV National News: Massive advance on Mosul Paul Workman reports near the city of Mosul where Iraqi and Kurdish forces are engaged in fierce combat with ISIS fighters.

Coalition forces are calling the offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS a significant operation, with an order of magnitude larger than any previous battles to date. CTVNews.ca explains why the battle to retake the ancient city is so important, how long it's expected to last and what coalition forces are putting in place for the remaining citizens to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.

Why is Mosul so important?

About the size of Houston, Mosul is the second largest city in Iraq outside of Baghdad.

It was a key strategic win for ISIS when it first seized the ancient city about two years ago, when ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi boldly claimed a new Muslim caliphate.

Located near important oil fields and close to the borders of Syria and Turkey, Mosul is also a key trading city in Iraq. Recapturing the city would strike a hard blow to ISIS's finances

How long will the mission take?

Count on a long, drawn-out battle.

Col. John Dorrian, a U.S. military spokesperson, said it would be “foolish” of him to predict an end date. While Iraqi forces have been able to liberate cities relatively quickly, the battle for Mosul is on “an order of magnitude larger than any of the previous liberation,” Dorrian told CTV News Channel on Monday in an interview from Baghdad.

He added that Lt.-Gen. Stephen Townsend, the Commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, said it may take a number of weeks or even perhaps longer.

“This is a situation where we can’t predict a timeline but we do feel very confident that the Iraqis have been prepared well for this battle, and they’re going to be successful,” said Dorrian.

Reporting about 15 kilometres from Mosul, CTV's Paul Workman said Monday that peshmerga forces targeted ISIS militants in a number villages in the area before the big offensive in Mosul begins.

"The peshmergas are, on the eastern flank, here. It could be a number of weeks, a number of months before they reach a point of being able to move door to door into Mosul where we know the ISIS militants have been able to build tunnels," said Workman. "They’ve been able to lay booby-traps, and are now essentially holding the population of Mosul hostage.”

Who are the peshmerga?

The peshmerga are the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous northern region of Iraq.

The name translates to "ones who faces death." They have been fighting ISIS forces who’ve taken much of the northern territory and, along with other Kurdish security subsidiaries, are responsible for the security of the Kurdish Region since the Iraqi Army is forbidden by law to enter Iraqi Kurdistan.

They were said to have played an important role in the mission to capture Saddam Hussein during the Iraq War in 2003.

What about the citizens of Mosul?

There were 2.5 million people in Mosul when ISIS first took over in 2014. Many people were imprisoned or even executed for reasons that ranged from men who didn't grow beards, to women who refused to wear Islamic clothing.

Hundreds of thousands of people have already fled and are either internally displaced or have gone to other cities or countries, but about a million people are still believed to have remained.

Col. John Dorrian described a “very difficult” humanitarian situation for the people.

He said Iraqis are working closely with the coalition, and UN and non-governmental and aid organizations, to develop a plan for people displaced by the fighting.

This includes 20 additional camps and “pre-positioned supplies” to deal with the influx of people fleeing their homes.

To limit casualties, Dorrian said the coalition has dropped leaflets and communicated with Mosul resident by radio, to “encourage them to cooperate with the Iraqi Security Forces as they move into the area, to stay hunkered down in their homes whenever they’re able to do so."

Dorrian added: “There is a humanitarian imperative here to liberate Mosul because the people that have been living under Daesh [ISIS] control, it’s just horrific conditions and it’s just not something you can push pause on.”