Iraq launches offensive to recapture Mosul from Daesh

Iraqi government forces, with air and ground support from the US-led coalition, launched an offensive on Monday to drive Daesh from the city of Mosul, the militants' last major stronghold in the country.

The assault on the northern city was the biggest operation mounted by the Iraqi military since US  forces withdrew in 2011, and the United States predicted Daesh would suffer "a lasting defeat."

Some 30,000 troops from the Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga militia and Sunni tribal fighters were expected to take part in the offensive to drive an estimated 4,000 to 8,000 Daesh militants from Mosul, Reuters news agency reported.

On Monday morning just before dawn, columns of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters could be seen lined up for the offensive to the north-east of the city, according to the Guardian.

Pehmerga forces are said to be aiming to take three villages and advance up to 12km on the first day of the offensive but insist they will not enter Mosul itself. Daesh is believed to have heavily mined the roads leading into its territory with large numbers of improvised devices and the Iraqi government has previously warned Mosul resident to stay in their homes.

"I announce today the start of the heroic operations to free you from the terror and the oppression of Daesh," Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said in a speech on state TV.

"We will meet soon on the ground of Mosul to celebrate liberation and your salvation," he said, surrounded by the armed forces' top commanders.

Mosul is the largest city that Daesh controls and its last major stronghold in Iraq.

"This is a decisive moment in the campaign to deliver Daesh a lasting defeat," US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement.

"We are confident our Iraqi partners will prevail against our common enemy and free Mosul and the rest of Iraq from Daesh's hatred and brutality."

In 2014, Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed from Mosul's Grand Mosque a "caliphate" in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, meaning an Islamic state with himself as its absolute ruler.