- Kurdish troops advance on ISIS-held villages east of Mosul
- Mosul offensive poses key test of US strategy against ISIS
- General Keane and James Jeffreyon the Mosul offensive
- ISIS flees Syrian village where it prophesied doomsday battle
Kurdish forces on Monday morning began advancing on a string of villages east of Mosul, the start of a long-awaited campaign to reclaim Iraq’s second-largest city from the Islamic State, which seized it more than two years ago, officials said. – New York Times
When Iraqi forces roll toward the city of Mosul this month, local leaders will have an opportunity to close a painful chapter that began more than two years ago, when retreating army units abandoned the city to the Islamic State. The moment will also mark the culmination of two years of American efforts to build a reliable local fighting force, and present a key test of the Obama administration’s strategy for defeating the Islamic State. – Washington Post
More than 50 people were killed Saturday in Iraq in attacks that struck a Shiite Muslim gathering, a police checkpoint and the family of a Sunni paramilitary leader opposed to the Islamic State, security and medical officials said. - Reuters
A suicide bomber struck a gathering of Shiite mourners in Baghdad Sunday, killing at least four people and wounding another 12, Iraqi officials said, as government troops prepared for a decisive battle to drive the Islamic State extremist group from the major northern city of Mosul. – Associated Press
Interview: On Sunday, the Iraqi Prime Minister announced the beginning of the campaign to wrest Mosul back from the Islamic State. The Cipher Brief talked with retired four-star General and Former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, John “Jack” Keane, to discuss the assault and the problems that may arise after Mosul has fallen. – The Cipher Brief
A force comprising thousands of Kurdish and Iraqi army soldiers wrested territory from the Islamic State outside the northern city of Mosul on Monday, facing occasionally fierce resistance at the start of a long-promised offensive to dislodge the extremists from their main stronghold in Iraq. – Washington Post
Iraqi Kurdish forces advancing toward the northern city of Mosul paused Tuesday on the second day of a long-awaited offensive after the Islamic State put up tough resistance in villages east of the strategic city. – Washington Post
As Iraqi forces launch their long-awaited campaign to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State, President Obama’s doctrine of aiding other countries militarily rather than leading every fight is facing its greatest test yet. – New York Times
The United Nations said it is gravely concerned for the safety of about 1.5 million civilians trapped in Mosul as the offensive to retake the city from Islamic State terrorists began. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
According to Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led campaign in Iraq and Syria, the advancing forces will be buoyed by Western air support, artillery, intelligence, advisers and troops that will help call in airstrikes, known as forward air controllers. But what exactly does that look like? – Washington Post’s Checkpoint
Lawmakers emphasized the importance of retaking Mosul as the battle got underway on Monday, but criticized the administration for not having a plan once the city is back under Iraqi control. – Washington Examiner
The battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will likely last “weeks, possibly longer,” the commander of the U.S.-led coalition said Monday as the long-awaited offensive got underway. – The Hill
By the end of the first day of the highly anticipated offensive for the Iraqi city of Mosul, there were two wars—the one on the battlefield and the one fought in words by officials seeking to shape the most important battle ever against the self-proclaimed Islamic State. – The Daily Beast
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi survived an uprising within his own police force Monday as U.S. led-coalition forces pushed toward Mosul with only light resistance, according to Iraqi lawmakers. – Washington Free Beacon
Armed forces closing in on Mosul said on Tuesday they had secured some 20 villages on the outskirts of the city in the first 24 hours of an operation to retake what is Islamic State's last major stronghold in Iraq. - Reuters
Iraq and the United States have launched a crucial battle to liberate the city of Mosul without determining how its volatile region will be governed once Islamic State militants are ejected, U.S. and other officials said. - Reuters
More is riding on the battle for Mosul than the recapture of the Islamic State group's main stronghold in northern Iraq. Also on the line is the Obama administration's theory that the extremists can be defeated in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere without American ground troops doing the fighting. – Associated Press
Video: American Enterprise Institute Research Fellow Katherine Zimmerman on retaking the Islamic State’s stronghold and the battles to come – Wall Street Journal
Patrick Ryan and Patrick Johnson write: While policymakers should dedicate significant energy and resources to re-establishing governance and rebuilding the city’s shattered infrastructure and economy, the counter-ISIL coalition must first consolidate and fully exploit its initial military gains. The coalition cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the last decade, allowing the group to survive under the radar only to re-establish influence and control. – War on the Rocks
- Khalilzad: 8 decisive factors that will shape the battle for Mosul
The liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State group could also be the starting gun for the breakup of Iraq as the country faces re-emerging tensions along traditional sectarian and religious lines. – Washington Times