ICC Note: After months of preparation, Iraqi forces recently launched an initiative to reclaim the ISIS-held city of Mosul. As Mosul is the largest city currently under ISIS control, experts believe that this offensive will be the largest counterattack waged against the militant group. Mosul, which used to have a significant Christian population, has virtually been cleared of Christianity due to violence at the hands of ISIS.

03/24/2016 Iraq (BBC) – Iraqi forces have launched an operation to retake the northern city of Mosul from so-called Islamic State (IS), officials say.

The first part of the long-awaited offensive has recaptured several villages, the Iraqi military has said.

The operation has been supported by air strikes from the US-led coalition, Kurdish Peshmerga troops and a Shia-dominated paramilitary force.

Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, has been under IS rule since June 2014.

An offensive to retake the city, where two million people lived before IS took over, has been in preparation for months.

Officials say the aim is to seize it within the year, but experts have questioned the ability of Iraqi forces to do so.

“The first phase of the Fatah [Conquest] Operation has been launched at dawn to liberate Nineveh [province], raising the Iraqi flag in several villages,” the military said in a statement read on Iraqi state TV.

The Iraqi army has scored important gains against IS recently, including retaking the western city of Ramadi, in Anbar province.

Mosul is the biggest city ruled by the militants, who control large swathes of territory in both Iraq and Syria.

…
[Full Story]