When will Mosul be liberated?
The Iraqi army has launched an offensive to recapture the remaining enclaves still held by ISIL.
Iraqi government forces say they are closing in on the last remaining parts of western Mosul still held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).
The western part of Iraq’s second city is ISIL’s last remaining Iraqi stronghold. The latest phase of the battle for Mosul – launched last October – was announced on Saturday.
The fighting is focused on three western neighbourhoods. Recapturing them will pave the way for Iraqi forces, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, to begin a final push for the Old City.
The fall of Mosul would end ISIL’s so-called caliphate in Iraq.
How big a challenge is that? And what would the fall of Mosul mean for ISIL’s future?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra
Guests:
Judit Neurink – journalist and author of ‘The War of ISIS: On the Road to the Caliphate’
Ahmed Rushdi – director of the House of Iraqi Expertise Foundation
Tom Robinson – Oxfam’s emergency team lead in Iraq