The operation to liberate Daesh-held Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, has begun.
The Iraqi army, the Kurdish peshmerga, Shia-led militia groups and the Turkish-trained Nineveh Guard will participate in its liberation, Al-Masdar News reported.
The US-led coalition airforce will provide airstrikes and the US will also deploy its special units to the battle.
Controversially, the United States will allow a corridor for Daesh to escape into Syria.
Meanwhile, Shia-led militias will target the nearby town of Tal Afar whilst the Iraqi Army will focus its offensive on Mosul city.
Sources in Iraq have stated that it will not allow Daesh terrorists to escape into Syria as they can again pose a threat to Iraqi territory.
